Brain Tumours in Children

Brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumours (malignant and non-malignant) are the second most common group of cancers in children, accounting for a quarter of all childhood cancers. In the UK, brain tumours occur in about 5 per 100,000 of children between the ages of 0-9 years. The largest subgroup is astrocytoma (43% of all brain and CNS tumours in children). Astrocytomas are diagnosed throughout childhood. 76% of astrocytomas are diagnosed as 'low-grade' and 15% as 'high-grade'. The second most common subgroup is the intracranial and intraspinal embryonal tumours (19% of all childhood brain and CNS tumours). Most of these are primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) and about 73% are medulloblastomas. PNETs occur most frequently in younger children. About 10% of childhood brain and CNS tumours are ependymoma and choroid plexus tumours. The incidence is highest in 1-year-old children.