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Information from PDQ for Patients
Childhood cerebellar astrocytoma
208/00289
** DESCRIPTION **
-- What is childhood cerebellar astrocytoma? --
Childhood cerebellar astrocytoma is a type of brain tumor. A brain tumor is an
abnormal growth of tissue contained within the skull, and can be benign
(without cancer cells) or malignant (contains cancer cells). The brain
controls vital functions such as memory and learning, the senses (hearing,
sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion. It also controls other parts of
the body, including muscles, organs, and blood vessels. Other than leukemia
and lymphoma, brain tumors are the most common type of cancer that occurs in
children.
This PDQ treatment information summary refers only to tumors that originate in
the brain (primary brain tumors). Metastatic brain tumors, which are secondary
tumors formed by cancer cells that begin in other parts of the body and spread
to the brain, are not included. Brain tumors can occur in both children and
adults; however, treatment may be different for adults than for children.
(Refer to the PDQ summary on Adult Brain Tumor Treatment for more information.)
Astrocytomas are tumors that develop from brain cells called astrocytes.
Cerebellar astrocytomas occur in the area of the brain called the cerebellum,
which is located at the back of the brain and controls balance and complex
motor activities, including walking and talking. Cerebellar astrocytomas
usually grow slowly and do not usually spread from the site in which they
originated to other parts of the brain or body, although they can invade large
areas. Some astrocytomas form cysts or are enclosed in a cyst.
If your child has symptoms that may be caused by a brain tumor, his or her
doctor may order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, a diagnostic test
that uses magnetic waves to create pictures of the body.
Often, surgery is required to determine whether there is a brain tumor and what
type of tumor it is. The doctor may surgically remove a small sample of the
tumor tissue, which is then examined under a microscope. This is called a
biopsy. Sometimes a biopsy is done by making a small hole in the skull and
using a needle to extract a sample of the tumor.
Your child's treatment and chance of recovery (prognosis) depend in part on the
tumor location and the extent to which the tumor has spread.
** STAGE EXPLANATION **
Once childhood cerebellar astrocytoma is found, more tests will be performed to
learn more about the tumor. If a biopsy specimen is taken, the tumor cells
will be examined carefully under a microscope to see how different they appear
from normal cells. This will determine the grade of the tumor. Cells from
higher-grade, more abnormal-looking tumors usually grow faster and are more
malignant than cells from lower-grade tumors. Your child's doctor needs to
know the grade of tumor in order to plan treatment.
There is no staging for childhood cerebellar astrocytoma. The type of
treatment given depends on the location and grade of the tumor and the
patient's previous treatment.
-- Untreated childhood cerebellar astrocytoma --
Untreated childhood cerebellar astrocytoma means that no treatment has been
given except to alleviate symptoms.
-- Recurrent childhood cerebellar astrocytoma --
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has
been treated. It may recur in the brain or in another part of the body.
** TREATMENT OPTION OVERVIEW **
There are treatments for all children with cerebellar astrocytomas. Three
kinds of treatment are used:
surgery (removing the tumor in an operation)
radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells)
chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells).
More than one method of treatment may be used, depending on the needs of the
patient.
Experienced doctors working together may provide the best treatment for
children with cerebellar astrocytoma. Your child's treatment will often be
coordinated by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer in
children. The pediatric oncologist may refer your child to other specialists,
such as a pediatric neurosurgeon (a specialist in childhood brain surgery), a
pediatric neurologist, a psychologist, a radiation oncologist, and other
doctors who specialize in the type of treatment your child requires.
Surgery is the primary treatment for childhood cerebellar astrocytoma.
Complete or near complete removal of the tumor is often possible.
If the tumor cannot be completely removed, radiation therapy may be given.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from x-rays and other sources to
kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy for childhood brain
tumors usually comes from a machine outside the body (external radiation
therapy).
Because radiation therapy can affect a child's growth and development,
chemotherapy may be given to delay or eliminate the need for radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs may
be taken by mouth or injected into a vein (intravenous) or a muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the
bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the
body.
-- Treatment by stage --
Treatment for childhood cerebellar astrocytoma depends on the tumor location,
the extent to which the tumor has spread, and the child's age and overall
health.
Your child may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its
effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to
have your child enter a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with
standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than
are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to test new
treatments and to find better ways to treat cancer patients. Clinical trials
are ongoing in most parts of the country for childhood brain tumors. For more
information, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
** UNTREATED CHILDHOOD CEREBELLAR ASTROCYTOMA **
Treatment for previously untreated childhood cerebellar astrocytoma depends on
whether all of the tumor can be surgically removed. If the tumor is completely
removed, there may be no further treatment. If any tumor remains after
surgery, radiation therapy may be given following the surgery, or may be
delayed until the tumor starts to grow again. If the child is very young and
all of the tumor cannot be removed during surgery, chemotherapy may be given to
delay the use of radiation therapy.
** RECURRENT CHILDHOOD CEREBELLAR ASTROCYTOMA **
Recurrence or relapse may take place many years after initial treatment. At
the time of recurrence, a complete evaluation is performed to determine the
extent of the recurrence. Treatment for recurrent childhood cerebellar
astrocytoma depends on whether the tumor recurs in the location in which it
originated and the type of treatment that was previously given.
If your child was initially treated with surgery alone, treatment may be
additional surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible; if this is not
feasible, radiation therapy may be given. If patients who were initially
treated with radiation therapy cannot be treated with surgery for their
recurrence, chemotherapy may be given. Clinical trials are currently
evaluating the role of chemotherapy for recurrent brain tumors.
** TO LEARN MORE **
Call
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's
(NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing
callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a
trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Web sites and Organizations
The NCI's Cancer.gov Web site (http://cancer.gov) provides online access to
information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations
that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. There
are also many other places where people can get materials and information about
cancer treatment and services. Local hospitals may have information on local
and regional agencies that offer information about finances, getting to and
from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems associated
with cancer treatment.
Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals,
and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer
treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide
information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer
statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other
topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications
Locator (https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs). These materials can also be
ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
LiveHelp
The NCI's LiveHelp service, a program available on several of the Institute's
Web sites, provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an
Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet
users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
National Cancer Institute
Office of Communications
31 Center Drive, MSC 2580
Bethesda, MD 20892-2580
** ABOUT PDQ **
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on Cancer.gov.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information
database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at
Cancer.gov (http://cancer.gov), the NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a
service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the
federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on
cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and
complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two
versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information
written in technical language. The patient versions are written in
easy-to-understand, non-technical language. Both versions provide current and
accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and
reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are
responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The
summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information
becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates
the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
In the United States, about two-thirds of children with cancer are treated in a
clinical trial at some point in their illness. A clinical trial is a study to
answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than
another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the
laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find
new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials,
information is collected about new treatments, the risks involved, and how well
they do or do not work. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is
better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard."
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at
Cancer.gov (http://cancer.gov/clinical_trials). Descriptions of the trials are
available in health professional and patient versions. For additional help in
locating a childhood cancer clinical trial, call the Cancer Information Service
at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
The PDQ database contains listings of groups specializing in clinical trials.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) is the major group that organizes clinical
trials for childhood cancers in the United States. Information about
contacting COG is available on Cancer.gov (http://cancer.gov) or from the
Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at
1-800-332-8615.
The PDQ database contains listings of cancer health professionals and hospitals
with cancer programs.
Because cancer in children and adolescents is rare, the majority of children
with cancer are treated by health professionals specializing in childhood
cancers, at hospitals or cancer centers with special facilities to treat them.
The PDQ database contains listings of health professionals who specialize in
childhood cancer and listings of hospitals with cancer programs. For help
locating childhood cancer health professionals or a hospital with cancer
programs, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
Date Last Modified: 09/2002
******************************************************************************
* If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you *
* if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you *
* can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll *
* free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer *
* your questions. *
******************************************************************************
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