ABOUT PEDIATRIC BRAIN CANCER
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Pediatric brain tumors are formed by a mass of abnormal cells in and around the brain. Because brain tumors affect neurological pathways, symptoms can vary widely, and may include nausea and vomiting; problems with hearing, vision, or speech; personality changes; seizures; headaches and more.
Among the most common of childhood cancers, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis (outcome) varies from one child to the next and depends on several factors:
Some tumors are benign (non-cancerous) and some are malignant (cancerous)
Health and age of the child
Location and type of tumor
Whether or not the tumor has spread
Diagnosis includes an examination, lab tests, various imaging technologies (such as an MRI and/or CT scan), and a biopsy. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
QUICK FACTS
• Brain and CNS tumors are the most common cancer in children 0-14 years in the United States.
• Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer death in children between the ages of 0-14.
• The incidence of brain and CNS tumors overall in children between the ages of 0-14 has increased from year to year.
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• Brain tumors can strike anyone. Approximately 13 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a brain tumor each day.
Nearly 20% go families lost more than 40% of their annual income because of work disruptions due to the illness of their child.
Brain & CNS tumors are the leading cause of cancer related deaths among children - surpassing leukemia.
Today a survivor on the brink of adulthood will wonder if he or she will ever date, marry, have children or hold a steady job due to the long term effects of both the brain tumor and the treatments that were administered in order to help truncate the tumor’s growth. THIS IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE. WE MUST FIND A WAY TO CHANGE THIS OUTCOME FOR OUR CHILDREN.
