Spine And Brain Tumor In Children - Now a safe surgery

There are various types of childhood brain and spinal tumors. These tumors are generally developed because of the abnormal growth of the cells and they might begin in different areas of the brain or the spinal cord. A childhood brain or spinal tumor is a disorder in which abnormal cells form in the tissue of the brain or in the spinal cord.

The tumors that develop in a child are generally of two types as benign (non cancer) and malignant (cancer).Benign brain tumors grow slowly and pass on to the nearby areas of the brain, they hardly spread into the other tissues. Whereas, malignant brain tumors grow quickly and spread into all across the brain including the tissues. Once these tumors get developed they effect the functioning of the brain. Both these tumors have signs and symptoms and need proper medications and treatment.

The signs and symptoms of brain and spinal tumor are not same in every child as they depend on the following:

• The location of the tumor- in brain or in spinal cord
• The size of the tumor
• The growth of the tumor
• The age and development of the child

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF Brain Tumor:

• Every morning headaches
• Frequent vomiting and nausea
• Loss of body balance and difficulty in walking
• Unusual changes in the behavior and personality
• Speaking, hearing and Vision problems
• Increase in the size of the head (in infants)

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SPINAL TUMOR:

• Problem in urinating
• Trouble in walking because of weakness in legs
• Pain in the back or spreading of pain from the back towards the arms or legs.

There are certain chances when the mental and physical development of a child also gets effected, the child might be unable to walk, sit or talk

DIAGNOSIS:

There are various test and procedures that can be done to diagnose the presence of brain or spinal tumor:

Physical Exam and History:An examination of the body to check for the signs and symptoms of the disease such as any development of the lumps or anything unusual. History of patient’s health and past illnesses and treatment.

Neurological Test:A set of tests to check the signs of health, including checking for signs of diseases.

MRI(magnetic resonance imaging) with Gadolinium: In this process, radio waves, magnet and a computer are used to make a series of detailed pictured of the brain and spinal cord. A chemical substance called gadolinium is injected into the vein, the gadolinium centered on the cancer cell and makes the picture brighter. This process is also called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI).

TREATMENT:

Treatment of brain and spine tumors can be done in various ways:

Radiation Therapy:In radiation therapy high energy of x-rays are used to destroy tumor cells. Radiation therapy helps in slow down or stop the growth of the tumor cells. The most common radiation therapy is external-beam radiation therapy, which is given from a machine outside the body.

Chemotherapy: In this process chemical drugs are use to destroy the tumor cells, or stops their ability to grow and divide. Chemotherapy is performed by a medical oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating tumors with proper medications.

Biopsy: This is a pathological process in which a sample of tissue is removed from the brain by removing a part of the skull by a needle.

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