Trending:

Signs Of Childhood Brain Cancer Every Parent Should Know

A brain tumour in children causes symptoms when it presses on an area of their brain. Although some tumours can be life-threatening, advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved survival for many. So, it is important to know the signs and symptoms which indicate the deadly disease. Read on to know what they are.

TN Health Desk

Updated Apr 26, 2024, 09:17 IST

Studies say less than 30 per cent of children with brain tumour live beyond five years

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or NICE in the UK has approved the use of a combination of dabrafenib and trametinib for the treatment of brain cancer, which helps reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

The drug is said to help support children with brain tumours and improve patient survival time without the disease progressing. According to experts, in children and young people, gliomas are the most common type of brain cancer, which develops from the glial cells that support the nerve cells of the spinal cord and brain.

Studies also say less than 30 per cent of children with this tumour live beyond five years. And so, doctors say it is important to know the signs and symptoms of this life-threatening disease.

Signs and symptoms of brain tumour in children

According to doctors, the skull does not have excess room for anything other than the brain and so, brain tumours develop and expand causing extra pressure in the closed space – known as intracranial pressure.

Increased intracranial pressure is caused by extra brain tissue and blockage of the cerebrospinal fluid flow pathways. A few symptoms include:

Early morning headaches
Seizures
Nausea and vomiting
Irritability
Lethargy and drowsiness
Personality and mental activity changes
Excessive sleepiness
Increase in size of your child's head
Issues with vision, hearing, or speech
Balance issues
Lack of coordination
Sudden changes in behavior
Weakness in your child’s arm, leg, or on one side of their body
Seizures
Microencephaly or enlarged head in infants whose skull bones are not completely fused
Coma and death, if left untreated
Brain tissue dysfunction caused by a growing tumor may cause other symptoms, depending on the tumor’s location

If a brain tumour is in the cerebellum at the back of the head, a child may have trouble with movement, walking, balance, and coordination. If the tumour affects the optic pathway, which is responsible for sight, the child may experience vision changes.

Types of brain tumours in children

Different types of brain tumours in children include:

Primary

Starting in the brain

Metastatic

Starting in other parts of the body and spreading to the brain

Benign

Slow-growing; non-cancerous. Benign tumors can still be difficult to treat if they are growing in or around certain structures of the brain.

Malignant

Cancerous. Unlike benign tumors that tend to stay contained, malignant tumors can be very aggressive. They grow rapidly and can spread to areas near the original tumor and to other areas in the brain.