Brain Tumor Center

Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma

Stages

If a child has a childhood cerebellar astrocytoma, the doctor will order additional tests 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 they look compared to normal cells. This will determine the grade of the tumor. Cells from higher-grade, more abnormal-looking tumors usually grow faster and are more cancerous than cells from lower-grade tumors. The child's doctor needs to know the type and grade of tumor in order to plan treatment.

There is no staging for childhood cerebellar astrocytoma. The type of treatment given depends on the grade of the tumor, its location, and whether or not your child has received previous treatment.

Untreated Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma:

Treatment for a newly diagnosed cerebellar astrocytoma will depend on whether or not all of the tumor can be surgically removed. If the tumor can be completely removed, there may be no need for further treatment. If any tumor remains after surgery, radiation therapy may be given following the surgery or after 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:

If the cancer comes back (recurs) after it has been treated, it may recur in the brain or in another part of the body. At the time of recurrence, a complete evaluation is performed to determine the extent of the recurrence. The child's treatment will depend on whether the tumor comes back in the place in which it originated or in another part of the brain and on the type of treatment given previously. A child who was treated initially with surgery alone may need 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.

This page was last updated on: February 6, 2008.