Brain Tumors and Cancer

Brain Tumors
by National Cancer Institute
A tumor that begins in the brain is called a primary brain tumor. In children, most brain tumors are primary tumors. In adults, most tumors in the brain have spread there from the lung, breast, or other parts of the body.

Childhood Supratentorial PNET Treatment
by National Cancer Institute
Different types of treatment are available for children with supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors and pineoblastoma. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials.

Brain Tumors Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
by National Cancer Institute
The symptoms of brain tumors depend on tumor size, type, and location. Symptoms may be caused when a tumor presses on a nerve or damages a certain area of the brain. They also may be caused when the brain swells or fluid builds up within the skull.

Brain Tumor Chemotherapy, Early Diagnosis, Symptoms
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill tumor cells. Drugs can be given by mouth, injected into a blood vessel or muscle, injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, or infused through a catheter to arteries supplying the brain with blood.

Primary and Secondary Brain Tumors
by National Cancer Institute
Tumors that begin in brain tissue are known as primary tumors of the brain. Primary brain tumors are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin. The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas.

Brain Tumor Surgery and Radiation
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The surgeon's aim is to remove the tumor completely without damaging normal brain tissue. To achieve this goal, a whole array of surgical tools has been developed in recent years.

Adult Brain Tumors, Part 2
by National Cancer Institute
Medulloblastomas are brain tumors that begin in the lower back of the brain. They are formed from abnormal brain cells at a very early stage in development. Medulloblastomas are usually found in children or young adults between the ages of 21 and 40 years

Childhood Medulloblastoma Treatment
by National Cancer Institute
Different types of treatment are available for children with childhood medulloblastoma. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials.

Adult Brain Tumors
by National Cancer Institute
Adult brain tumors are diseases in which cancer (malignant) cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. The brain controls memory and learning, senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion.

Brain Tumor Increase: Only Some Causes Known
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In the United States about 100,000 cases of brain tumors are predicted for 1996, almost double the number of just a decade ago. Of these, about 17,000 will originate from brain tissue and are called primary brain tumors. Secondary (metastatic) brain tumor

Treatment Options by Type of Adult Brain Tumor
by National Cancer Institute
Brain Stem Gliomas. Treatment of brain stem gliomas may include the following: Hyperfractionated radiation therapy, A clinical trial of new anticancer drugs and/or biologic therapy. Pineal Astrocytic Tumors: Surgery and radiation therapy

Childhood Brain Stem Glioma
by National Cancer Institute
Childhood brain stem glioma is a disease in which benign (noncancer) or malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain stem. Although cancer is rare in children, brain tumors are the most common type of childhood cancer other than leukemia

Brain Tumors Treatment, Part 2
by National Cancer Institute
People with brain tumors have several treatment options. Depending on the tumor type and stage, patients may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. Some patients receive a combination of treatments.

Brain Tumors Treatment, Part 3
by National Cancer Institute
Stereotactic radiation therapy: Narrow beams of radiation are directed at the tumor from different angles. For this procedure, the patient wears a rigid head frame. An MRI or CT scan creates pictures of the tumor's exact location.

Brain Tumors Treatment, Part 4
by National Cancer Institute
In children, radiation may damage the pituitary gland and other areas of the brain. This could cause learning problems or slow down growth and development. In addition, radiation during childhood increases the risk of secondary tumors later in life.

Childhood Brain Stem Glioma: Treatment Options
by National Cancer Institute
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer

Childhood Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors and Pineoblastoma
by National Cancer Institute
Childhood supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors start in the cerebrum. The cerebrum, which is at the top of the head, is the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum controls thinking, learning, problem solving, speech, emotions, reading, writing

Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma
by National Cancer Institute
Childhood cerebellar astrocytoma is a disease in which benign (noncancer) or malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain. Astrocytomas are tumors that develop from brain cells called astrocytes.

Childhood Ependymoma: Treatment
by National Cancer Institute
Your child's treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist may refer you to other pediatric doctors who have experience and expertise in treating children

Childhood Ependymoma
by National Cancer Institute
Childhood ependymoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. About 1 in 11 childhood brain tumors are ependymomas. Although cancer is rare in children, brain tumors are the most common type of child