Childhood brain and spinal tumours
What is a childhood brain or spinal cord tumour?
A brain tumour starts in the cells of the brain. A spinal cord tumour starts in the cells of the spinal cord. The most common types of childhood brain tumours are astrocytoma and medulloblastoma.
Risks for childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Risks for childhood brain and spinal cord cancer are radiation and some genetic conditions. Learn about childhood brain and spinal cord cancer risk.
Symptoms of childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Symptoms for childhood brain and spinal cord cancer include seizures, headache and nausea. Learn about symptoms of childhood brain and spinal cord cancer.
Diagnosis of childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Childhood brain and spinal cord tumours can be diagnosed or ruled out by tests such as MRIs, CT scans and biopsies.
Grading childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Grading describes how cancer cells look compared to healthy cells. Childhood brain and spinal cord tumours are described as low grade or high grade.
Staging childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Staging is a way to describe or classify a cancer based on the how much cancer there is in the body. Because most central nervous system (CNS) tumours do not spread, there is no standard staging system for childhood brain and spinal cord cancer.
If childhood brain and spinal cord tumours spread
Cancer cells have the potential to spread from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body where they can grow into new tumours. This process is called metastasis. The tumours are called metastasis (singular) or metastases (plural). Metastases are also called secondary tumours.
Prognosis and survival for childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
A prognosis estimates the outcome for childhood brain and spinal cord tumours. It depends on many things, including the tumour type, grade, location and size.
Treatments for childhood brain and spinal cord tumours
Treatments for childhood brain and spinal cord tumours include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Supportive care
Supportive care is an important part of cancer care. It helps children and their families meet the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges of cancer. It helps improve the quality of life of children living with cancer. It can help children to cope with cancer and its treatment.
Childhood brain and spinal cord tumour statistics
Brain and spinal tumours are the second most common type of cancer in Canadian children. Learn about childhood brain and spinal cancer statistics.
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