Pediatric brain tumors

Abstract

Tumors of the central nervous system are, as a group, the most common solid tumor of childhood. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric malignancies elsewhere in the body, tumor of the brain continue to affect thousands of children annually. The wide variability in tumor type and behavior, as well as the varied response to treatment, make pediatric brain tumors particularly challenging lesions to successfully treat. This article reviews the epidemiology, diagnosis, and combined surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiation treatment of pediatric brain tumors and discusses the outcomes of these treatments along with future directions for the field of pediatric neuro-oncology.

Keywords

• brain tumor
• pediatric
• neuro-oncology