05 Nov How do childhood brain tumors present in infants and children?
Childhood brain tumors are lumps or growths of a collection of abnormal cells that occur in an infant’s brain or nearby tissues. There are several types of brain tumors in children, some noncancerous (benign) and some cancerous (malignant). Treatment and recovery options depend on the type of tumor, its location in the brain, whether it has spread, and the overall health of the infant.
With new technologies and treatments that are constantly evolving, there may be multiple options at different stages of childhood brain tumor treatment. You should know that the treatment of brain tumors in children is very different from that in adults, so the knowledge and experience of your pediatric neurosurgeon is important.
Let’s talk about the symptoms…
Symptoms of brain tumors in children vary depending on the type, size, location, and growth rate of the tumor. Some symptoms may not be easy to spot because they are similar to other conditions. Some of the most common symptoms of brain tumors in children are:
Headache (may become more frequent and severe)
There may be pressure on the head
nausea or vomiting
sudden vision problems
Other symptoms that may appear, depending on the area in which it is located, may be:
Seizures, especially if you have not had a seizure before
abnormal eye movement
trouble swallowing
babble
Difficulty maintaining balance
What are the causes of childhood brain tumors?
In most cases, the exact cause of childhood brain tumors is not known. Brain tumors in children usually arise in the brain or in nearby tissues. Primary brain tumors appear when there are errors in the DNA of normal cells. These errors cause cells to grow and divide faster, continuing to survive until healthy cells die. Children can develop different types of brain tumors (they may or may not be cancer).
Risks that may occur
In most children who develop primary brain tumors, the cause of the tumor is not clear. However, some types of brain tumors, such as medulloblastoma, are more common in infants. Although rare, a family history of brain tumors or genetic syndromes increases the risk of developing brain tumors in children. There is no doubt that the treatment must be multidisciplinary. Areas such as neurosurgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also involved, without neglecting the benefits of rehabilitation and emotional support.
Childhood Brain Tumor Treatments
There are different types of treatment for pediatric brain tumors, choosing one of these is directly related to the type of tumor, size, area and other factors that must be taken into account by a specialist doctor, being a pediatric neurosurgeon the most qualified to carry out the most complicated procedures with greater success.
If a brain tumor is located in a site accessible for surgery, your child’s pediatric neurosurgeon will work to remove as much of the tumor as safely as possible.
In some cases, the tumors are small and easy to separate from the surrounding brain tissue, making complete surgical removal possible. In other cases, the tumors cannot be separated from surrounding tissue, or they are located near sensitive parts within the brain, making surgery risky. In these cases, the pediatric neurosurgeon removes as much of the tumor as possible.
Even removing part of the brain tumor can help reduce signs and symptoms. Surgery to remove a pediatric brain tumor carries risks, such as infection or bleeding. Other risks may depend on the part of your child’s brain where the tumor is located. For example, surgery for a tumor that is near the nerves that connect to the eyes could carry a risk of vision loss.