Ependyoma Childhood Health Video

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.

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Justin C. K. Davis, M.D. is one of San Francisco's finest house call specialist physicians, and has been providing house calls and office visits to the Bay Area since 2005. His practice is built upon a philosophy of excellent customer service and excellent patient care.

DR. JUSTIN C.K. DAVIS, M.D.: Hi. My name is Dr. Justin Davis. Today I'd like to describe to you a condition known as Ependymoma, specifically, ependymoma in childhood. Now, first of all, what is an ependymoma? And ependymoma is a tumor or growth, often cancerous, that grows in the central nervous system, which means the brain or the spinal cord. Specifically, ependymomas are made from ependymal cells. Ependymal cells are very specific cells that line the tracks that contain the central nervous system fluid. That means the fluid that runs inside of the brain and inside of the spinal cord. Sometimes, these ependymal cells will become cancerous or begin growing in abnormal ways and form tumors. Usually in children, this occurs in young children and 90% of the time will happen in the brain although occasionally 10% of the time can happen in the spinal cord; in adults, it's much more likely to occur in the spine. So what are the symptoms if you have an ependymoma? Because this affects the central nervous system and usually in the brain, the symptoms will depend upon the tumor is located and how large it is, and what part of the brain it's pressing upon or disrupting. Common symptoms that children may present with when they have an ependymoma may be seizures, headaches, loss of balance, nausea and vomiting, loss of hearing, loss of eyesight, it really depends where the tumor is located inside of the brain. There's no prevention for ependymoma because we really don't know what causes it, but the most important thing is that if you think your child is experiencing any kind of unusual symptoms, especially unusual neurologic symptoms, don't ignore it but please bring them right away to a doctor who can further evaluate the problem and diagnose exactly what's wrong.

Ependyoma Childhood Health Video

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