A staging system is a standardized way for the cancer care team to summarize information about the extent of your cancer. However, cancers of the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system [CNS]) differ from tumors in other parts of the...
According to an article written for the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation by Melissa Singer, M.D. and Julianne Byrne, Ph.D., approximately one in every 30,000 to 40,000 children will get a brain tumor, with the greatest incidence occurring in...
Childhood brain tumors are any parent's worst fear. According to the 2004 to 2005 Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States report, 3,400 new cases are diagnosed each year. The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation reports that one in 30,000 to...
An ependymoma is a tumor located in the cerebrospinal fluid-filled spaces of the brain and/or spinal cord. According to the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation, ependymomas are rare but they're the third most common type of brain tumor found in...
The brain stem, located between the cerebrum and the spinal cord, consists of three parts--the midbrain, the pons and the medulla. Symptoms of brain stem tumors vary according to the precise location of the tumor. The most common type of tumor in...
A malignant brain tumor refers to a group of rapidly growing abnormal cells that spread to other parts of your body (metastasize). The American Brain Tumor Association says that a brain tumor is also considered malignant when it provokes...
Wilms Tumor is a rare form of childhood cancer. About 500 children develop Wilms tumor each year, most before the age of 5. In spite of its rare occurrence, researchers have identified genetic changes that increase a child's risk of developing...
Heart cancer, also called cardiac sarcoma, is a rare disease in which cancerous cells begin growing in the heart muscle. The average age of a patient at the time of heart cancer diagnosis is approximately 41, according to Merck Manuals Online...
The Ewing family of tumors is a term used to describe a certain type of bone tumor or soft tissue tumor. In 1921, Dr. James Ewing discovered that some tumors in children had some slight differences from the more common tumor called an...
Kidney tumors are not common in children. According to Seattle Children's Hospital, about 550 children younger than 15 are diagnosed in the United States each year. Wilms' tumor is the most common form of kidney cancer in children younger than the...
Astrocytoma is a type of tumor arising from astrocytes, which are a type of glial cell in the brain. Astrocytomas can affect people of any age, but they are most common in children. Cerebellar astrocytomas develop in the part of the brain...
Dementia illnesses such as Alzheimer's are the leading cause of short-term memory loss in adults. However, when children do not remember recent events, the cause is not always as clear. It may be the result of single event or problem, such as a...
The side effects from chemotherapy drugs and radiation, the most common treatment options for cancer regardless of age, depends on a variety of factors. The type and dosing of chemotherapy drugs used, the site as well as duration of the radiation...
Adrenal gland cancer is rare. Adrenal tumor growths are usually noncancerous adenomas, which do not cause any symptoms and rarely require treatment. There are three types of cancerous adrenal gland tumors including adrenocortical carcinoma,...
Scientific evidence shows that certain foods play a role in preventing cancer. This is because foods like fruits and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that protect the brain. The effects of antioxidants are even passed through the diets of...
Germ cell tumors are uncommon neoplasms that develop from the primitive cells that give rise to eggs and sperm. These tumors most commonly develop in the ovaries and testicles but may occur anywhere in the body, including the brain. Germ cell...
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been implicated in causing health problems since its use in processed foods and medications. It is made from two naturally occuring amino acids, L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid; when combined, it...
Mediastinal germ cell cancer is a rare but dangerous type of cancer usually seen in childhood. A diagnosis of cancer is always frightening, but especially when the patient is a child. Children do not always understand serious illness and rely on...
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the skull. There are many different types of brain tumors that can affect children and teenagers, and they are among the most common types of childhood cancers. The symptoms of a tumor will...
Cancer can develop both in the eye and its surrounding tissues. The eye consists of the eyeball, the orbit and tissues around the eye like the eyelids and tear glands. Certain types of cancers like melanoma and retinoblastoma can originate in the...
Though hypertension brings to mind a chronic disease of middle-aged adults, high blood pressure can affect people of all age groups, including children. According to "Nelson's Pediatrics," the number of children affected by high blood pressure is...
The brain stem is located underneath the two hemispheres of the brain, linking the brain to the spinal cord. The brain stem controls blood pressure, the heartbeat, breathing and the nerves that control hearing, seeing, walking, talking, eating and...
Cancer occurs when cells in the body grow abnormally and uncontrollably. This uncontrolled growth leads to the formation of a tumor that can interfere with normal cell functions and cause the death of nearby cells. Brain cancer describes the...
During her first year of life, a baby gain weights rapidly, often tripling her birth weight by her first birthday. In some cases, a baby can stop gaining weight, or even lose weight. This is called failure to thrive. Failure to thrive occurs most...
Brain tumors are the second most common types of childhood cancer, reports the North America Brain Tumor Coalition. A brain tumor develops due to the irregular, unregulated growth of cells within the brain tissue and can be cancerous (malignant)...
Benign bone tumors are noncancerous bone growths, which most commonly occur in the long bones of the arms and legs. Benign tumor types include chondroblastomas, chondromyxoid fibromas, enchondromas, giant cell tumors, nonossifying fibromas,...
Prepubescent acne is not uncommon, but it's not typical, either. The reason is because acne is caused by the sebaceous glands, which are glands that produce oils. Before puberty, these glands aren't even active. If your preteen has the occasion...
Epilepsy, a condition characterized by repeated seizures,, typically first appears in childhood, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Seizures occur when electrical impulses in the brain behave abnormally, overwhelming the brain with electrical...
A retinoblastoma tumor is a cancerous tumor that grows in the eye. The tumor begins growing on the retina, the lining in the interior of the eye. The retinoblastoma tumor is a rare cancer primarily found in children under the age of 5. The...
Ependyoma is a tumor or growth found in the central nervous and is often a cancerous growth. Learn more about this condition and its specifics regarding children in this video.
Childhood cancers are hard to indentify, but seventy five percent of childhood cancers can be cured. Learn about childhood cancers in this video.
