Brain and spinal tumours (CNS tumours)

08 March 2012

Around 390 young children are diagnosed with brain and spinal solid tumours every year in Britain.

They are the most common solid tumours to occur in children.

Brain and spinal tumours (or central nervous system (CNS) tumours) arise from different types of cells and are classified and named according to the cells in which they began.

Many CNS tumours start in glial cells – the supporting cells of the brain. These are known as gliomas and include astrocytomas, ependymomas and oligodendrogliomas.

Medulloblastoma is a type of embryonal tumour which usually develops in the cerebellum at the back of the brain.

Most CNS tumours are benign which means that they remain in the part of the brain in which they started and do not spread into and destroy other areas of the brain. Malignant brain tumours are most likely to cause problems by spreading to the brain tissue which surrounds them. This can cause pressure and damage to the surrounding areas.

Incidence

Around 390 children are diagnosed with CNS tumours every year in Britain – 25 per cent of all childhood cancer registrations.

Astrocytoma is the most common type, accounting for more than 40 per cent of this number (155 cases). Astrocytoma is diagnosed throughout childhood and has no strong pattern by either sex or age.

The second most frequent sub-group is intracranial and intraspinal embryonal tumours which account for around a fifth of cases (70 cases per year). These are most common in early childhood; most cases are medulloblastoma, which is around 60 per cent more common in boys than girls.

Mortality

Although CNS tumours rank second in incidence, they rank highest in terms of the number of deaths from cancer in childhood.

In the 10 years from 1995 to 2004, 1,115 children died as a result of CNS tumours, just under a third of all childhood cancer deaths.

Survival

Overall survival from CNS tumours stands at 71 per cent* but the chance of survival depends very much on the type of tumour, its precise location and its grade.

*(Five year survival for children diagnosed 2001-2005, NRCT, April 2011)

Treatment

Doctors can use a variety of means to find out more about the precise type of tumour, its grade, position and the extent to which it may have spread. This may include taking a biopsy and the use of a CT or MRI scan.

The main treatment for most CNS tumours is surgery (if feasible). If a tumour cannot be completely removed surgically, or if there is a chance that some cancer cells have been left behind, radiotherapy may be given afterwards. Radiotherapy may also be used as the main treatment if surgery is not possible, however it is usually avoided in children under the age of three years.

Chemotherapy is used routinely to treat medulloblastoma and is increasingly being used to treat other types of brain tumours. It may also be used in situations where the tumour cannot be removed completely with surgery.

The child may also be given steroids. These do not treat the tumour but can improve symptoms by reducing the swelling that often surrounds brain tumours. Anti-convulsants may also be given to prevent fits.

Side effects of treatment

Treatment often causes side effects, these will depend on the exact treatment being given but may include:

Hair loss
Tiredness
Nausea and vomiting
Reduced resistance to infection
Bruising
Anaemia

Read more: Side effects of treatment

Late effects of treatment

Any disease of the brain, or its treatment by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, may affect your child’s physical and intellectual development. The risk is greater in children who are very young as their brain is growing quickly. Different treatments may be recommended for children of different ages.

The possible risks of any treatment given will be explained by the child’s doctor before treatment begins.

Read more: Long-term and late effects of treatment

Related Topics brain tumours, spinal tumours, types of childhood cancer, side effects of treatment, long-term effects of treatment, Brain and spinal tumours, CNS tumours

Categories types of childhood cancer