The brain is made of different kinds of cells. Childhood brain tumors are grouped and treated based on the type of cell the cancer formed in and where the tumor began growing in the CNS. Some types of tumors are divided into subtypes based on how the tumor looks under a microscope. See Table 1 for a list of tumor types and staging and treatment information for newly diagnosed and recurrent childhood brain tumors.
| Tumor Type | Tumor Subtype | Related PDQ Treatment Summary |
|---|---|---|
| WHO = World Health Organization. | ||
| Astrocytomas and Other Tumors of Glial Origin | ||
| – Low-Grade Astrocytomas | Angiocentric glioma | See Childhood Astrocytomas Treatment for information on low-grade astrocytomas. |
| Choroid glioma of the third ventricle | ||
| Diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-mutant | ||
| Pilocytic astrocytoma | ||
| Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma | ||
| Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma | ||
| – High-Grade Astrocytomas | Anaplastic astrocytoma, IDH-mutant | See Childhood Astrocytomas Treatment for information on high-grade astrocytomas. |
| Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma | ||
| Diffuse midline glioma, H3K27M-mutant | ||
| Glioblastoma, IDH-mutant | ||
| Glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype | ||
| – Other Astrocytomas or Gliomas | Astroblastoma | See Childhood Astrocytomas Treatment for information on other astrocytomas or gliomas. |
| Pilomyxoid astrocytoma | ||
| Brain Stem Glioma | ||
| Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas | See Childhood Brain Stem Glioma Treatment. | |
| Focal or low-grade brain stem gliomas | ||
| Central Nervous System Embryonal Tumors | ||
| – Medulloblastoma | See Childhood Central Nervous System Embryonal Tumors Treatment for information on medulloblastoma and nonmedulloblastomas. | |
| – Nonmedulloblastomas | Central nervous system ganglioneuroblastoma | |
| Central nervous system neuroblastoma | ||
| Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) | ||
| Medulloepithelioma | ||
| – Central Nervous System Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor | See Childhood Central Nervous System Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor Treatment. | |
| Tumors of the Pineal Region | Pineoblastoma | See Childhood Central Nervous System Embryonal Tumors Treatment. |
| Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors | ||
| – Germinomas | See Childhood Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors Treatment. | |
| – Teratomas | Immature teratomas | |
| Mature teratomas | ||
| Teratomas with malignant transformation | ||
| – Non-Germinomatous Germ Cell Tumors | Choriocarcinoma | |
| Embryonal carcinoma | ||
| Mixed germ cell tumors | ||
| Yolk sac tumor | ||
| Craniopharyngioma | See Childhood Craniopharyngioma Treatment. | |
| Ependymoma | ||
| Subependymoma (WHO Grade I) | See Childhood Ependymoma Treatment. | |
| Myxopapillary ependymoma (WHO Grade I) | ||
| Ependymoma (WHO Grade II) | ||
| Anaplastic ependymoma (WHO Grade III) | ||
| RELA fusion-positive ependymoma (WHO Grade II or Grade III) | ||
| Tumors of the Choroid Plexus | ||
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