More than one method of treatment may be used, depending on the needs of the patient. Depending on the location of the tumor, a child's doctor may remove as much of it as possible by creating an opening in the skull in an operation called a craniotomy. If the tumor cannot be removed completely, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may also be given. If the cancer is in a place where it cannot be removed, surgery may be performed for a biopsy of the cancer. Radiation therapy can affect growth and brain development, so clinical trials are testing ways to decrease or delay radiation therapy, especially for younger children.
Chemotherapy is treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body to kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is being studied in clinical trials as a means of delaying or eliminating the need for radiation therapy in younger patients, as well as for use prior to or during radiation therapy. Clinical trials are studying different chemotherapy drugs for childhood visual pathway and hypothalamic glioma. Treatment Side Effects Side effects can occur with cancer treatments because healthy cells are often damaged along with cancer cells. Although patients are often uncomfortable during the first few days after surgery, this pain can usually be controlled with medicine.