Pediatric brain tumors are a group of diseases in which there is abnormal growth of cells of the brain. This abnormal cell growth can be low grade (very slow growing cancer cells) or high grade (contains cancer cells with a faster growth rate that often spread to adjacent normal tissues). The brain controls memory, learning, movement, the senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch) and emotion. Other than leukemia, brain tumors are the most common cancer that occurs in children and young adults.
The staff of the Pediatric and Young Adult Brain Tumor Program provides comprehensive, compassionate diagnosis and care for children and young adults with brain tumors. The care and long-term multidisciplinary follow-up of children with brain tumors or neurological complications of cancer are coordinated through the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Department.
Our goal is to have our patients get through therapy with as normal a life as possible and to emerge from therapy knowledgeable about how to maintain their health.
The approximately 50 pediatric brain tumors diagnosed each year at Cleveland Clinic are cared for in the home-like environment of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic and child and adolescent units at the Children’s Hospital, all of which are newly renovated and expanded. Pediatric cancer physicians, nurse practitioners, a pediatric psychologist, child life specialists, social workers and oncology nurses treat patients in an environment that best suits the needs of the children and their parents.
Our team follows more than 300 patients from infancy through 21 years of age.
"We provide comprehensive, compassionate diagnosis and multidisciplinary, coordinated care..."
The cure rate for cancer in children and adolescents has improved greatly in the last two decades - largely because of treatment in national clinical trials. The prognosis for children and young adults with certain brain tumors has improved substantially, increasing from only 10 to 20 percent of patients achieving sustained remission twenty years ago to 80 percent today.
However, there are a significant proportion of patients with high grade and/or metastatic tumors for whom effective therapy remains elusive. Clinical trials are designed to test new, potentially better therapies against standard approaches in hopes of finding better ways to treat pediatric brain tumors. Participation in Children’s Oncology Group and other cooperative trials ensures access for both children and young adults to the latest chemotherapy protocols. Trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for pediatric brain tumors.
The good news is that Children's Oncology Group clinical trials are closely overseen by a data monitoring committee, so that in real time, if one treatment is found to be better than another, the treating physicians are notified immediately, and your child's treatment will be changed right away if necessary. Meanwhile, our researchers work toward the development of innovative treatments such as biological therapy to ensure continued cutting-edge care.
Treatment for pediatric brain tumors depends on the type, grade and location of the tumor within the brain, your child's age and overall health. You may choose to have your child entered on a clinical trial or your child may receive treatment that is considered standard therapy based on its effectiveness in patients in past clinical trials. Because treatment of pediatric brain tumors poses significant challenges to the child and family, our team is there with a comprehensive approach.
Our pediatric neurosurgeons have extensive expertise in biopsy and resection of the most challenging low and high grade brain tumors. In the Cleveland Clinic Brain Tumor Institute, radiation oncologists offer an array of state-of-the-art treatment options for young patients, including the Novalis system, Gamma Knife radiosurgery, Intrabeam intraoperative radiotherapy, 3-D conformal radiation therapy and brachytherapy.
Cleveland Clinic pediatric neurologists also run one of the largest neurofibromatosis clinics in the world. Neurofibromatosis is a disorder of the nervous system. Cleveland Clinic’s neuro-oncology team treats many of these children who harbor brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve tumors. The Pediatric and Young Adult Brain Tumor Program participates in chemotherapy clinical trials to treat some patients with neurofibromatosis.
We have also established a national registry for children diagnosed with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), a very rare and aggressive pediatric tumor, to provide a voluntary, free, confidential, central database of information and outcomes; to provide information necessary for the optimal management; and to provide physicians, patients and parents with information about the disease. The registry can be accessed from the navigation menu at the top right of this page.
We offer you the words of the parents we work with
"Everyone seems to work as a team, with the focus being on the children and their families. …Again thanks to you and your staff. They portray the excellence that is missing in healthcare today." "We feel so blessed that we brought our son to The Cleveland Clinic."
Should you have more questions about the treatment of pediatric brain tumors, please contact The Children's Hospital Cancer Answer Line at 216.444.5517 or 800.223.2273, extension 4-5517, select option 1.
For other websites regarding childhood cancer:
Health Information Home/Last Reviewed: 5/21/07
© Cleveland Clinic Health System 2009
This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic Health System and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition.
