Pediatric Brain Tumors

Diagnosis

According to the American Brain Tumor Association, each year in the United States more than 4,000 children are diagnosed with a brain tumor. Brain tumors are the most common type of solid tumor and the second most common type of cancer (after leukemia) in children.

Most brain tumors in children are primary tumors that start in the brain and are not the result of malignant cells spreading to the brain from another location in the body. A primary tumor in the brain rarely spreads beyond the brain and spinal cord. Any brain tumor can be life-threatening if it becomes too big and presses against tissues that control vital body functions such as breathing or blood circulation. Read more about brain tumor types and diagnosis.

Read more about brain tumors at MayoClinic.com.