Pediatric Brain Tumors

Pediatric brain tumor diagnosis often begins with questions about your child’s symptoms and an exam. The exam can give your child’s healthcare team clues about what’s happening in your child’s brain. It can help the healthcare team decide which tests are needed next.

Tests and procedures used to diagnose pediatric brain tumors include:

Neurological exam

A neurological exam tests different parts of the brain to see how they’re working. During the exam, a healthcare professional might check your child’s:

• Vision.
• Hearing.
• Balance.
• Coordination.
• Strength.
• Reflexes.

If your child has trouble in one or more areas, this is a clue for the healthcare professional. A neurological exam helps the healthcare team understand what part of the brain might have a problem.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests can make pictures of the brain that show the brain tumor’s location and size. The most common imaging test for brain tumors is magnetic resonance imaging, also called MRI. Sometimes a special type of MRI is needed to get more-detailed pictures. Special types of MRI include functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Other imaging tests include computerized tomography scans, also called CT scans, and positron emission tomography scans, also called PET scans.

Biopsy

A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. For pediatric brain tumors, the sample is most often collected during surgery to remove the tumor.

If surgery isn’t possible, the tissue sample might be removed with a needle. Removing a sample of brain tumor tissue with a needle is done with a procedure called stereotactic needle biopsy. During this procedure, a surgeon drills a small hole in the skull. The surgeon inserts a thin needle through the hole and into the brain tissue and draws out a sample of cells.

The sample goes to a lab for testing. In the lab, tests can show whether the cells are cancerous and how quickly the cells are growing. Special tests can look at the tumor cells’ DNA. Your child’s healthcare team uses the results from these tests to create a treatment plan.

Lumbar puncture

A lumbar puncture is a procedure to collect fluid from around the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, is done using a needle. A healthcare professional inserts the needle between two bones in the lower back and draws out some of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid. The fluid goes to a lab where it’s tested for cancer cells.

Your child might need a lumbar puncture if there’s a risk that the cancer has spread. Brain cancer usually doesn’t spread. When it does, it tends to go to the cerebrospinal fluid. The fluid can carry the cancer cells to other parts of the brain and to the spinal cord.