|
Treatment Option Overview
| Key Points for This Section
|
|
There are different types of treatment for children with brain
stem glioma.
Different types of treatment are available for children with brain stem glioma. Some treatments
are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment
clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or
obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that
a new treatment is better than the standard
treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial
should be considered. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the
country. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the
NCI Web site. Choosing the most appropriate cancer treatment is a
decision that ideally involves the patient, family, and health care
team.
Children with brain stem glioma should have their treatment
planned by a team of doctors with expertise in treating childhood brain
tumors.
Your child’s treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes
in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist may refer you to
other pediatric doctors who have experience and expertise in treating children
with brain tumors and who specialize
in certain areas of medicine. These may include the following specialists:
Five types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery is used to diagnose and treat childhood brain stem glioma as discussed in the General Information section of this summary.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is
a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or
other types of radiation to kill cancer cells. There are two types of
radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the
body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are
placed directly into or near the cancer.
Radiation therapy to the brain can affect growth and development in young children. Certain ways of giving radiation therapy can help keep radiation from damaging healthy tissue:
The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Radiation therapy may be used alone or in addition to chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of
cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from
dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer
cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is
placed directly in the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Because radiation therapy to the brain can affect growth and brain development
in young children, clinical trials are studying ways of using chemotherapy to
delay or reduce the need for radiation therapy.
Cerebrospinal fluid diversion
Cerebrospinal fluid diversion is a method used to drain fluid that has built up around the brain and spinal cord. A shunt (long, thin tube) is placed in a ventricle (hollow space) of the brain and threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen. The shunt carries excess fluid away from the brain so it may be absorbed elsewhere in the body.
Watchful waiting
Watchful waiting is closely monitoring a patient’s condition without giving any treatment until symptoms appear or change.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Radiation therapy with radiosensitizers
Radiosensitizers are
drugs that make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Combining radiation therapy
with radiosensitizers may kill more tumor cells.
This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in
clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the
NCI Web site.
 Back to Top
< Previous Section | Next Section > |
