Medulloblastoma is on the higher side when it comes to children’s brain tumors. It often starts in the cerebellum part of the brain, which is responsible for balance. The best information available indicates that this medulloblastoma tumor affects children aged 3 to 8 years, and boys are diagnosed much more frequently than girls.
According to the blog “Medulloblastoma: Childhood Brain Cancer,” medulloblastoma is uncommon, but a smaller-sized child will grow in size, and because there is fluid in the brain, it can also lead to other organs in the body. Some signs are headaches, nausea, difficulty in walking, and blurred vision, which ideally would relate to a child with this type of tumor.
MRIs are examined to assess the child’s brain and ascertain whether a child has medulloblastoma. Considered as the first step in treatment, the tumor is often surgically excised, followed by chemotherapy or radiation if necessary. Hence, with the treatment available now, it is easy for most children to survive this condition. However, scientists are still exploring other better options for such children.
Medulloblastoma: What’s The Definition?
Medulloblastoma is a malignant and aggressive tumor that often develops in or near the cerebellum and is most commonly observed in children between the ages of three and eight. Children with this condition show a poor grasp of language and skill development, which is more common among males than females. Without treatment, this prognosis indicates that it tends to grow quickly and invade other central nervous system regions, such as the brain and the spine, via the cerebrospinal fluid.
While all treatments for this type embrace chemotherapy and radiation therapy, surgical oncology is needed during some instances, in the case of medulloblastoma especially. These children cannot talk until late, and even while offering mediation, the prognosis is not always favorable, i.e., childhood skills maturation is uniquely heterogeneous. Still, it is known to be influenced by the age of onset of this medical condition. More recent research also emphasizes the need for targeted therapies alongside chemotherapy to enhance remission rates.
What Are The Symptoms?
Medulloblastomas are a type of brain tumor that, when located in various parts of the organ and are of multiple sizes, can result in a range of ill effects. Some of the symptoms that one might notice in a person having this tumor are:
- Headaches: These usually occur when someone gets out of bed in the morning or turns their head while lying down.
- Nausea and vomiting: This feeling and action can result from tumors exerting excessive pressure on the brain.
- Dizziness and Balance Issues: These ailments result when the tumor in the brain is located in the region responsible for coordination.
- Vision problems: Some people suffer from double vision or blurry vision.
- Unsteady walking: Some people may experience difficulty walking straight or have difficulty maintaining their balance.
- Fatigue: Feeling weak can hinder an individual in the ordinary course of life.
These symptoms may appear gently and progress and sometimes even last for as long as treatment begins.
How To Diagnose?
Assessment of childhood medulloblastoma entails several specific evaluative approaches that enable clinicians to appreciate the processes occurring in the child’s brain.
- Past Medical History and Neurological Examination: The first step is to take the child’s medical history and seek to rule out or confirm the presence of certain features. The child will be subjected to an assessment of brain function through coordination and reflex tests. This assists in diagnosing other factors, like headache, vomiting, and gait disturbance, that may suggest the presence of a neoplasm.
- Imaging Tests: These imaging techniques assist doctors in examining the potential site and magnitude of the brain tumor. Different machines, like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT scans, which use unique canvases to capture the brain, are also utilized in these procedures. Unlike a CT scan, MRI captures an exact image that reveals all sorts of obscure spots on the brain that may not be cancerous.
- Biopsy: To apply for accurate diagnosis, the physician may be required to perform full or partial excision of the tumor for observation purposes, which is referred to as a biopsy. They secure a fragment of the growth and subsequently place it under the microscope, enabling them to identify the specifics of the medulloblastoma, confirming its presence and aiding in diagnosis and treatment.
What Are The Types and Subtypes?
Medulloblastoma is a cancer that’s primarily found in the brain and develops more in children. Recent studies have proved that other types of medulloblastoma tumors differ in structure and outcome.
Medulloblastoma, which is WNT-activated, has gene alterations that aid in recovery; therefore, the general prognosis is good. There is also the possibility of SHH (Sonic Hedgehog), which is not uncommon in kids and adults, but a person’s survival relies on the age of diagnosis. Group 3 Medulloblastoma tends to be the very worst of the worst, and the prognosis is relatively bad, even more so in cases where it has already metastasized.
Also, Group 4 Medulloblastoma, which is most prevalent and quite commonly seen, has a wide range of prognosis but, on average, outshines Group 3. Group 4 Medulloblastoma, on average, performs better than group 3 and is one of the most common medulloblastoma. Grasping these distinctions is treated optimally so that each patient receives the correct and suitable therapy.
Are There Any Treatment Options?
For medulloblastoma, treatment is typically undertaken in a conjoined manner, with primary components usually being chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.
Surgeons attempt maximal safe resection of the tumor as surgery is the initial step. Complete removal of the tumor significantly improves the chance of great survivorship. Cancer cells are targeted with chemotherapy right after surgery, especially for high-risk patients. Their remaining cancer cells are attacked with chemotherapy. Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) is a frequent practice for managing the recurrence of the brain and spinal cord.
Ayurvedic practices can adjunct general well-being with herbal medicine and dietary alteration. Regardless of these brutal treatments, side effects such as cognitive deficits and endocrine disorders are possible due to the impact of radiation on developing brains.
Prognosis
Thanks to new treatments, the survival rates of kids suffering from medulloblastoma or brain tumors have greatly improved. Currently, up to 80% of kids diagnosed with it survive at least 5 years. How well a child does depends on their age, the type of medulloblastoma they’re diagnosed with, how much of the tumor the doctors can remove surgically, and whether the cancer has spread elsewhere in their body.
Even though the rates have improved, kids with medulloblastoma still have a fighting chance due to the aggressive treatment that they’ll need. Therefore, ongoing research into the illness is crucial.
Research and Future Directions
Scientists worldwide are working hard to enhance their insights about medulloblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer affecting children. Their focus is primarily on curbing adverse side effects in children. Part of this research involves identifying mutations in the tumors’ genes. These mutations should determine the life-saving therapies suitable for each child.
Immunotherapy is also one of the promising fields that is under active research. Scientists use this mechanism to help the body fight against cancerous cells. Its key idea is to enhance the immune system of children suffering from severe medulloblastoma without effective therapies. These groundbreaking concepts and treatments are designed to significantly improve the quality of life for children following their medical treatment.
Conclusion
Medulloblastoma stands as the most prevalent cancerous brain tumor in children, especially in those between the ages of 3 and 8 years. Medulloblastoma begins in the brain area, which maintains posture and coordination, including the elbows. The cancerous tumor becomes a risk after extensive treatments are provided. So researchers need to strive to find better, up-to-date, thorough solutions and methods to help kids reduce their post-changing lifestyle by supporting treatments and reaching healthy ages.
Every step should be taken to ensure the family is provided with a team of medical staff that seeks to enable a child to cope with medulloblastoma. It is safe to state that the team should be of utmost importance to the family and make them feel relaxed.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34978683/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9911713/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431069/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/medulloblastoma/cdc-20363524
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22591-medulloblastoma
https://solvingkidscancer.org/blog/medulloblastoma-in-children/
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/childrens-cancer/brain-tumours/types/medulloblastoma