More than one method of treatment may be used, depending on the needs of the patient. 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. Surgery is used when possible to treat brain stem gliomas. Depending on where the cancer is, the child's doctor may remove as much of the tumor as possible by creating an opening in the skull in an operation called a craniotomy. If the brain stem glioma is in a place where it cannot be removed, surgery may be limited to a biopsy of the cancer.
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. 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. The recovery period after an operation varies from patient to patient. Chemotherapy drugs generally target rapidly dividing cancer cells.