Experienced doctors working together may provide the best treatment for children with brain tumors. Your child's treatment will often be coordinated by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer in children. Treatment options often depend on the type of tumor and its location within the brain. Complete or near complete removal of the tumor is often possible. Since radiation therapy can affect growth and brain development, other clinical trials are testing ways to decrease or delay radiation therapy, especially for younger children who have not yet achieved full growth.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy is being studied in clinical trials as a means of delaying, modifying or eliminating the need for radiation therapy in younger patients, as well as for use prior to or during radiation therapy. Treatment by Type Treatment for childhood brain tumor depends on the type and grade of the tumor, its location within the brain, and your child's age and overall health. Your child may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to have your child enter a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired.