Pediatric Brain Tumors

Pediatric Brain Tumors

Brain tumors in children typically come from different tissues than those affecting adults. Treatments that are fairly well-tolerated by the adult brain (such as radiation therapy) may prevent normal development of a child’s brain, especially in children younger than age five.

According to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, approximately 4,200 children are diagnosed with a brain tumor in the U.S. Seventy-two percent of children diagnosed with a brain tumor are younger than age 15. Most of these brain tumors grow in the posterior fossa (or back) of the brain. Children often present with hydrocephalus (fluid builds up in the brain) or the face or body not working properly.

Some types of brain tumors are more common in children than in adults. The most common types of pediatric tumors are medulloblastomas, low-grade astrocytomas (pilocytic), ependymomas, craniopharyngiomas and brainstem gliomas.