Clinical Aspects of Pediatric Brain Tumors

Abstract

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor entity in children and constitute 15 to 20% of all childhood malignancies. All health care professionals seeing children should be able to identify signs and symptoms arising from a central nervous system (CNS) tumor and refer or investigate appropriately. Despite advances in neuroimaging, the timely diagnosis of CNS tumors remains difficult. It is well-known that any delay in diagnosis leads to further tumor progress and thus worsens the outcome and the risk of additional brain damage, thus making an early diagnosis crucial. This article reviews the presenting clinical features that characterize children with brain tumors.

Keywords

brain tumors - presenting symptoms - clinical awareness

• References

• 1 Kaatsch P, Rickert CH, Kühl J, Schüz J, Michaelis J. Population-based epidemiologic data on brain tumors in German children. Cancer 2001; 92 (12) 3155-3164
• 2 Reulecke BC, Erker CG, Fiedler BJ, Niederstadt TU, Kurlemann G. Brain tumors in children: initial symptoms and their influence on the time span between symptom onset and diagnosis. J Child Neurol 2008; 23 (2) 178-183
• 3 Hayashi N, Kidokoro H, Miyajima Y , et al. How do the clinical features of brain tumours in childhood progress before diagnosis?. Brain Dev 2010; 32 (8) 636-641
• 4 Mehta V, Chapman A, McNeely PD, Walling S, Howes WJ. Latency between symptom onset and diagnosis of pediatric brain tumors: an Eastern Canadian geographic study. Neurosurgery 2002; 51 (2) 365-372 , discussion 372–373
• 5 Wilne SH, Ferris RC, Nathwani A, Kennedy CR. The presenting features of brain tumours: a review of 200 cases. Arch Dis Child 2006; 91 (6) 502-506
• 6 Wilne S, Collier J, Kennedy C, Koller K, Grundy R, Walker D. Presentation of childhood CNS tumours: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8 (8) 685-695
• 7 Young HK, Johnston H. Intracranial tumors in infants. J Child Neurol 2004; 19 (6) 424-430
• 8 Davies E, Clarke C. Early symptoms of brain tumours. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004; 75 (8) 1205-1206