For many young patients, it starts as a headache. But medulloblastomas, a rare brain cancer that accounts for 20% of all pediatric brain cancers, affects the cerebellum. This part of the brain affects balance and motor control. Often, the more specific symptoms include difficult walking or talking. Parents often feel helpless watching their child’s advancing symptoms.
At UVA Health Children’s, we can offer the best possible treatments for these aggressive cancers, including clinical trials. All in a children’s hospital designed to support your family.
Diagnosing & Treating Medulloblastoma
We’ll use advanced imaging to pinpoint the exact size and location of your child’s tumor. This will help inform our treatment plan.
Pediatric Radiology
Getting accurate information on brain tumors requires advanced imaging. Parents are often concerned about the risk of radiation. But with pediatric radiologists trained in the latest techniques using the best equipment available, we can get reliable images safely.
Surgical Confirmation & Removal
While we can suspect medulloblastoma due to symptoms and imaging, the only true confirmation is surgically removing a small piece of the tumor. That piece can then be used for testing, which tells us what type of tumor it is.
If possible, we may remove the tumor entirely at this point. This avoids the problems of multiple surgical procedures.
What We Learn from Testing
Testing the tumor tells us a lot more than just what type it is. We can also determine the subtype and how best to treat it. This gives us information we can use to personalize treatment for a better outcome.
Treatment Options
In addition to surgically removing as much of the tumor as possible, it’s important to follow up with treatment to address remaining cancer cells. In most cases, that means using radiation and chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemo uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells. Because of how strong this medicine is, it also causes severe side effects.
We can offer support services to help your child through chemo’s side effects. These can include medications to help with nausea, nutritionists’ recommendations for foods that help with energy, or options to help your child feel more comfortable.
Radiation
Like chemo, radiation helps reach cancer cells that aren’t able to be surgically removed. By changing the DNA of the cancer, radiation keeps it from growing and can even kill cancer cells.
Three-Pronged Approach
Medulloblastomas will usually be treated with surgery, chemo, and radiation. This is the most successful option.
Support Services
Recovering from pediatric brain cancer can feel challenging. But we’ll ensure your family has the support you need to navigate care.
Physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy can help your child build the balance and coordination that was damaged by the tumor. It can also mean helping provide your family with emotional support or connecting you with other families who have already been where you are.