Brain tumour in children

 The most frequent type of tumour to appear in youngsters is a brain tumour. Any age of children could be impacted. Girls experience it less frequently than boys.

More kids than ever are beating cancer in their youth. We may now seek to lessen the consequences of prior cancer treatment thanks to new and improved medications and therapies.

Finding out that your child has cancer is traumatic. Although it may at times seem overwhelming, there are many healthcare professionals and support groups available to assist you during this trying time.

Knowing more about the type of cancer your kid has and the potential treatments can help parents cope. More specific information and, if you have any questions, will be provided by your child's specialist.

brain cancer

A brain tumour may originate from the brain itself (primary) or from another bodily region (secondary). This knowledge relates to primary brain tumours.

Symptoms and signs

The size, location, and impact of the tumour on that region of the brain will all influence the symptoms. The abnormally high pressure inside the cranium is what causes symptoms. A developing tumour may push healthy brain tissue aside or obstruct the movement of cerebral fluid. These symptoms, which the medical community refers to as elevated intracranial pressure, include:

-headaches (typically worse in the morning) (often worse in the morning)

-bouts of nausea or vomiting (typically in the morning) (seizures)

-having a severe annoyance or losing interest in daily life

What happens with a suspected brain tumour?

It can be a little bit simpler if you know what a test entails. Don't be hesitant to ask questions; the professional doctor and nurse will be happy to explain everything.

Your child will be thoroughly examined by your doctor, who will ask about any recent issues your child has faced. This will involve using an ophthalmoscope to examine the back of your child's eyes to search for swelling, which may indicate increased pressure in the brain. Other things including balance, coordination, sensation, and reflexes are typically examined as well.

-MRI or CT scan

-Most kids will undergo a CT or MRI scan, which provides a detailed look into the brain.

-X-rays are used in a CT scan. 

A Blood test:

These are typically performed to make sure a surgery can be performed safely and can also be utilised to aid in the tumour type diagnosis.

Biopsy

To determine the specific sort of tumour, doctors frequently need to remove a small portion of it (a biopsy). It indicates that your child will require hospitalisation for a procedure requiring a general anaesthetic. A specialist physician known as a pathologist then examines the portion of the tumour that was removed under a microscope.

It is not always necessary to do a biopsy; in some cases, removing the entire tumour at once is preferable. It will take a few days before the precise sort of tumour is identified in this scenario.ccasionally, it might

many forms of brain tumours

Types of Brain tumour:

There are various forms of brain tumours, and they are typically termed after the cell type from which they originate. Astrocytoma, ependymoma, and medulloblastoma are the three primary forms, while there are numerous additional, less typical varieties.

There are two types of brain tumours: benign (not cancerous) and malignant (cancerous).

harmless brain tumours

These do not often travel to other parts of the brain; instead, they stay in the location where they first appeared. Because of its location, benign tumours can occasionally be challenging to remove, necessitating the use of additional therapies.

Low-grade astrocytomas are the sort of tumour that are most prevalent (also called low-grade glioma).

primary, malignant brain tumours

These are most likely to create issues by doing so.

primary, malignant brain tumours

These are most likely to be problematic because they put pressure on the nearby tissues, harm those areas, and may even spread to nearby healthy brain tissue.

Ependymoma and high-grade astrocytic tumours

These tumours, which are also known as gliomas, grow from the brain's supporting cells known as glial cells.

Medulloblastomas

These often grow in the cerebellum, which is located at the base of the brain. Treatment must cover all of this as they may spread to other areas of the brain or the spinal cord.

Treatment:

Because there are several forms of brain tumours, not everyone will receive the same treatment. The specialists will assess the type, size, and location of the brain tumour.

Surgery

Typically, a neurosurgeon will do surgery to get rid of as much of the tumour as they can. Operations may last a very long time. These frequently last longer than 6 or 8 hours.

Sometimes a tumour or swollen brain prevents the fluid in and around the brain from flowing freely. In this situation, it might be essential to insert a tiny tube (shunt) to allow extra fluid to drain from the brain and into the stomach area (abdomen). Outside of the body, the shunt is invisible. Making another drainage path for the fluid around the obstruction is another remedy for this (called a ventriculostomy).

Your child might spend some time in an intensive care unit following the procedure.

Radiotherapy

High intensity radiation beams are used during radiotherapy to treat cancer. These are identical to visible light, but instead of reflecting off the surface, the energy travels into the body, harming tumour cells.

With the use of equipment connected to your child's brain's MRI scans, radiotherapy is administered with the utmost care. Each time, the procedure typically takes a few minutes, although it frequently needs to be repeated for 5 or 6 weeks.

Radiotherapy techniques that are more specialised may occasionally be used. The oncologist for your child will go into greater detail about this.

Chemotherapy

Drugs are used in chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is sometimes administered intravenously and occasionally orally as a liquid or pill. Treatment is frequently extremely drawn out, with intervals of.

Your youngster may also require the use of other medications:

For a while, your kid might need to take medications to lessen or manage the symptoms of the brain tumour:

Steroids 

These medications can help with symptoms by reducing edoema and inflammation in the brain.

Anticonvulsants

These medications aid in preventing fits, which can be problematic before or following brain surgeries. They might only be required for a brief time, but occasionally they are.

adverse effects of therapy:

The paediatrician and specialised nurse will go into further detail about what to anticipate. Always inform them of any negative impacts your child is experiencing. Many side effects can be easily managed or minimised.

hair fall

Hair loss is a side effect of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. After chemotherapy, your child's hair will typically grow back, though radiotherapy may prevent this from happening.

Tiredness

Both therapies frequently leave patients feeling exhausted, and this fatigue may last for weeks after chemotherapy or radiation has ended.

I feel nauseous.

Your youngster can become ill from radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Anti-sickness medications, which the oncologist will prescribe for your child, may typically control this well.

Brain tumours