Childhood ependymoma is a type of brain tumor. A tumor begins when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. Ependymoma is a rare, cancerous brain tumor.

Ependymoma starts from radial glial cells, which are a type of cell in the brain. Even though ependymoma can occur in any part of the brain or spine, it most commonly occurs in the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that coordinates the body’s actions.

Symptoms & Causes:

Children with ependymoma may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes, children with ependymoma do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be another medical condition that is not a tumor.

• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Changes in vision, such as blurriness
• Difficulty with walking or balance
• Jerky eye movements
• Neck pain
• Reaching childhood developmental milestones more slowly than expected
• Seizures/convulsions, which are sudden involuntary movements of a person’s muscles

If you are concerned about any changes your child experiences, please talk with your child’s doctor. Your doctor will ask how long and how often your child has been experiencing the symptom(s), in addition to other questions. This is to help find out the cause of the problem, called a diagnosis.

If a brain tumor is diagnosed, relieving symptoms remains an important part of care and treatment. This may also be called symptom management, palliative care, or supportive care. Be sure to talk with your child’s health care team about symptoms your child experiences, including any new symptoms or a change in symptoms.

Treatments:

option: 1-surgery

or

2- Chemotherapy

or

3- Radiation