Sameer Keole, M.D. Medical Director, ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City When a child is diagnosed with cancer it is devastating for the entire family. The good news is that cure rates for childhood cancer are at nearly 80 percent thanks to ongoing research that has improved the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancers. …
Ori Shokek, M.D., Moody D. Wharam, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.R. Craniopharyngioma is a brain tumor that occurs in children. It is seen in the suprasellar region of the brain, a centrally located area adjacent to critical structures including the nerves that conduct visual signal from the eyes to the brain, the ventricular system which governs the …
Changes in the Brains of Children with Brain Tumors of the Central Nervous System Neurotoxicity is a significant tumor-and treatment-related complication for a number of childhood cancer survivors. It is particularly relevant for children with brain tumors who require therapy specifically directed at the central nervous system. Despite its significance, relatively little is known about …
Tobey J. MacDonald, M.D. For over 50 years, the field of cancer therapy has been dominated by the concept that the tumor must be the selected target of the chemotherapy delivered. Therefore, any drug with the ability to directly kill tumor cells in the laboratory was by definition a candidate for use as chemotherapy in …
Kathy Warren, MD, pediatric oncologist, National Cancer Institute INTRODUCTION: Although ependymomas are the third most common type of brain tumor in children (following astrocytoma and medulloblastoma), they are relatively rare, with approximately 200 cases diagnosed in the US each year in children and adults less than 25 years of age. Ependymomas account for 6-12% of …
LOCATION OF TUMOR FUNCTION SYMPTOMS Cerebellum Balance (ipsilateral) Loss of balance, wide gait, decreased deep tendon reflexes Coordination Nystagmus, Ataxia Abstract thinking Bladdder and bowel incontinence Expressive speech Aphasia (left side of the brain) Intellect Deterioration of intellect Judgment Emotional lability Motor Activity (contralateral) Muscle Weakness/paralysis Personality changes Offensive behaviors Decision making Executive functioning OCCIPITAL …
Brendan Price, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) have few treatment options and most children diagnosed only survive for 1-2 years. Identifying new treatments is therefore of the highest priority. Work in the lab is focused on understanding how these brain tumors arise, with the …
Hillary Bennett and Catherine M. Mannix, RN, BSN, OCN The diagnosis of a brain tumor is never welcome news for anyone. But this type of cancer is especially problematic in children, as their developing nervous systems are particularly sensitive to the effects of radiation, a major form of treatment for brain and other solid pediatric …
Introduction I will divide advances in surgical technique over the past several decades into 4 major categories: greater visual magnification, improved aids to navigation, better functional brain mapping, and more precise tumor destruction. Magnification The operating neurosurgical microscope has been used since the 1950’s when Dr. RMP Donaghy of the University of Vermont was active …
