Central Nervous System Cancer
Overview
What are brain and spine tumors?
The Central Nervous System (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. CNS tumours are abnormal cells in the brain and spinal tissue. Commonly referred to as brain tumors, these cancers are rampant and have an increasingly large global incidence.
Brain tumours that originate in the brain are called primary brain tumours; the ones that spread to the brain are known as metastatic brain tumours. These tumours can be benign or malignant – both of which require specialized treatment.
What is a Central Nervous System Tumor?
The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. This system is responsible for sending, receiving and processing information throughout your body, controlling how your body functions. When tumors grow in the central nervous system, they can cause significant symptoms.
Tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), but even benign tumors can cause issues if they grow and put pressure on other parts of the brain or spine. CNS tumors are the second most common childhood tumor type, with around 4,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Risk Factors
A risk factor is anything that increases your chances of getting a disease such as a brain or spinal cord tumor. Different types of cancer have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, you can change. Others, like your age or family history, can’t be changed.
But having a risk factor, or even several, does not always mean that a person will get the disease, and many people get brain or spinal cord tumors without having any known risk factors.
Many different types of tumors can start in the brain or spinal cord, and while they might have some things in common, these different tumors might not all have the same risk factors.
Diagnosis
Imaging tests can help doctors find out if the tumor is a primary brain tumor or if it is cancer that has spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body. Imaging tests show pictures of the inside of the body. Your doctor may consider these factors when choosing a diagnostic test:
The type of tumor suspected
Your signs and symptoms
Your age and general health
The results of earlier medical tests
How are CNS Tumors Treated?
Treatment for CNS tumors will be individualized based on the specific tumor diagnosis and severity as well as your child’s age. Your child’s treatment can include any or all of the following:
