Question: What are the treatments for Childhood Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors ?
Answer: Key Points - There are different types of treatment for patients with childhood central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors. - Children with childhood CNS germ cell tumors should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children. - Childhood CNS germ cell tumors may cause signs or symptoms that begin before the cancer is diagnosed and continue for months or years. - Some cancer treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended. - Four types of treatment are used: - Radiation therapy - Chemotherapy - Surgery - High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue - New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. - Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. - Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. - Follow-up tests may be needed. There are different types of treatment for patients with childhood central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors. Different types of treatment are available for children with childhood central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment. Children with childhood CNS germ cell tumors should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children. Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist and/or a radiation oncologist,. A pediatric oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. A radiation oncologist specializes in treating cancer with radiation therapy. These doctors work with other pediatric health care providers who are experts in treating children with childhood CNS germ cell tumors and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These may include the following specialists: - Pediatrician. - Pediatric neurosurgeon. - Neurologist. - Endocrinologist. - Ophthalmologist. - Pediatric nurse specialist. - Rehabilitation specialist. - Psychologist. - Social worker. Childhood CNS germ cell tumors may cause signs or symptoms that begin before the cancer is diagnosed and continue for months or years. Childhood CNS germ cell tumors may cause signs or symptoms that continue for months or years. Signs or symptoms caused by the tumor may begin before the cancer is diagnosed. Signs or symptoms caused by treatment may begin during or right after treatment. Some cancer treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended. Some cancer treatments cause side effects that continue or appear months or years after cancer treatment has ended. These are called late effects. Late effects of cancer treatment may include: - Physical problems. - Changes in mood, feelings, thinking, learning, or memory. - Second cancers (new types of cancer). Some late effects may be treated or controlled. It is important to talk with your child's doctors about the possible late effects caused by some treatments. (See the PDQ summary on Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer for more information). Four types of treatment are used: Radiation therapy Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy: - External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Certain ways of giving radiation therapy can help keep radiation from damaging nearby healthy tissue. This type of radiation therapy may include the following: - Stereotactic radiosurgery: Stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of external radiation therapy. A rigid head frame is attached to the skull to keep the head still during the radiation treatment. A machine aims a single large dose of radiation directly at the tumor. This procedure does not involve surgery. It is also called stereotaxic radiosurgery, radiosurgery, and radiation surgery. - Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type of cancer being treated. External radiation therapy is used to treat childhood CNS germ cell tumors. Radiation therapy to the brain can affect growth and development in young children. Certain ways of giving radiation therapy can lessen the damage to healthy brain tissue. For children younger than 3 years, chemotherapy may be given instead. This can delay or reduce the need for radiation therapy. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type of cancer being treated. Surgery Whether surgery to remove the tumor can be done depends on where the tumor is in the brain. Surgery to remove the tumor may cause severe, long-term side effects. Surgery may be done to remove teratomas and may be used for germ cell tumors that come back. Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy. High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue is a way of giving high doses of chemotherapy and replacing blood -forming cells destroyed by the cancer treatment. Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow of the patient or a donor and are frozen and stored. After the chemotherapy is completed, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through an infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into (and restore) the bodys blood cells. New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment. Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment. Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward. Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Current Clinical Trials section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from the NCI's listing of clinical trials. Follow-up tests may be needed. Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your child's condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups. Children whose cancer affected their pituitary gland when the cancer was diagnosed will usually need to have their blood hormone levels checked. If the blood hormone level is low, replacement hormone medicine is given. Children who had a high tumor marker level (alpha-fetoprotein or beta-human chorionic gonadotropin) when the cancer was diagnosed usually need to have their blood tumor marker level checked. If the tumor marker level increases after initial treatment, the tumor may have recurred. Treatment Options for Childhood CNS Germ Cell Tumors Newly Diagnosed CNS Germinomas Treatment of newly diagnosed central nervous system (CNS) germinomas may include the following: - Radiation therapy to the tumor and ventricles (fluid -filled spaces) of the brain. A higher dose of radiation is given to the tumor than the area around the tumor. - Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy, for younger children. - A clinical trial of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy given in lower doses depending on how the tumor responds to treatment. Newly Diagnosed CNS Teratomas Treatment of newly diagnosed mature and immature central nervous system (CNS) teratomas may include the following: - Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy may be given if any tumor remains after surgery. Newly Diagnosed CNS Nongerminomas It is not clear what treatment is best for newly diagnosed central nervous system (CNS) nongerminomas is. Treatment of choriocarcinoma, embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor, or mixed germ cell tumor may include the following: - Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. If a mass remains after chemotherapy, surgery may be needed to check if the mass is a mature teratoma, fibrosis, or a growing tumor. - If the mass is a mature teratoma or fibrosis, radiation therapy is given. - If the mass is a growing tumor, other treatments may be given. - Surgery to remove as much of the mass as possible and check for tumor cells, if tumor marker levels are normal and the mass continues to grow (called growing teratoma syndrome). - A clinical trial of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy given in lower doses depending on how the tumor responds to treatment. Recurrent Childhood CNS Germ Cell Tumors Treatment of recurrent childhood central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors may include the following: - Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. - High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue using the patient's stem cells. - A clinical trial of a new treatment.