Question: What is (are) Childhood Ependymoma ?
Answer: Key Points - Childhood ependymoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. - There are different types of ependymomas. - The part of the brain that is affected depends on where the ependymoma forms. - The cause of most childhood brain tumors is unknown. - The signs and symptoms of childhood ependymoma are not the same in every child. - Tests that examine the brain and spinal cord are used to detect (find) childhood ependymoma. - Childhood ependymoma is diagnosed and removed in surgery. - Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options. Childhood ependymoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. The brain controls vital functions such as memory and learning, emotion, and the senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch). The spinal cord is made up of bundles of nerve fibers that connect the brain with nerves in most parts of the body. Ependymomas form from ependymal cells that line the ventricles and passageways in the brain and the spinal cord. Ependymal cells make cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This summary is about the treatment of primary brain tumors (tumors that begin in the brain). Treatment of metastatic brain tumors, which are tumors that begin in other parts of the body and spread to the brain, is not discussed in this summary. There are many different types of brain tumors. Brain tumors can occur in both children and adults. However, treatment for children is different than treatment for adults. See the following PDQ summaries for more information: - Childhood Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors Treatment Overview - Adult Central Nervous System Tumors Treatment There are different types of ependymomas. The World Health Organization (WHO) groups ependymal tumors into five main subtypes: - Subependymoma (WHO Grade I). - Myxopapillary ependymoma (WHO Grade I). - Ependymoma (WHO Grade II). - RELA fusionpositive ependymoma (WHO Grade II or Grade III with change in the RELA gene). - Anaplastic ependymoma (WHO Grade III). The grade of a tumor describes how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumor is likely to grow and spread. Low-grade (Grade I) cancer cells look more like normal cells than high-grade cancer cells (Grade II and III). They also tend to grow and spread more slowly than Grade II and III cancer cells. The part of the brain that is affected depends on where the ependymoma forms. Ependymomas can form anywhere in the fluid -filled ventricles and passageways in the brain and spinal cord. Most ependymomas form in the fourth ventricle and affect the cerebellum and the brain stem. Once an ependymoma forms, areas of the brain that may be affected include: - Cerebrum: The largest part of the brain, at the top of the head. The cerebrum controls thinking, learning, problem-solving, speech, emotions, reading, writing, and voluntary movement. - Cerebellum: The lower, back part of the brain (near the middle of the back of the head). The cerebellum controls movement, balance, and posture. - Brain stem: The part that connects the brain to the spinal cord, in the lowest part of the brain (just above the back of the neck). The brain stem controls breathing, heart rate, and the nerves and muscles used in seeing, hearing, walking, talking, and eating. - Spinal cord: The column of nerve tissue that runs from the brain stem down the center of the back. It is covered by three thin layers of tissue called membranes. The spinal cord and membranes are surrounded by the vertebrae (back bones). Spinal cord nerves carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body, such as a message from the brain to cause muscles to move or a message from the skin to the brain to feel touch.