Childhood Brain Cancer Dilemma

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- More than 2,000 children suffer from brain tumors each year in the United States. Many times, the treatment is as bad, if not worse, than the disease itself. Now, a new approach offers hope -- but not without a risk.

Marianna Sanchez has always had a lot to smile about. Her mother, Carina Vazquez, says, "She was such a healthy child, not even a cold." But one day, everything changed. "She said her head felt like it was going to explode," Carina says.

An MRI detected a very serious brain tumor, known as medulloblastoma. "We can cure this, but there are going to be costs, and I think that's probably one of the more difficult things I ever have to say to a family," says pediatric neuro-oncologist Paul Fisher, M.D., from Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.

Dr. Fisher says surgery is the easy part. What happens after surgery is more complicated. Without chemo and radiation, the tumor almost always returns. But radiation can cause brain damage -- and possibly even a lower IQ.

Dr. Fisher says, "There's a chance they could, say a 2- or 3-year-old, wind up being mentally retarded."

Now, some doctors are trying lower doses of radiation to minimize the chance of brain damage, but that could be risky. Here's why: Some studies show the survival rate is about the same. But others show it may be as much as 10-percent lower.

It's a tough decision for parents. Marianna's family chose lower-dose radiation. Carina says: "When they mentioned the tradeoff of the mental damage, you know, I said I couldn't do this to her. We were very focused on not changing her, kind of her going into this thing and coming out the same person."

For Marianna, it's paid off. Two years later, she's cancer-free and past the point when most tumors return.

Medulloblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumor in children. Doctors believe it's caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The typical survival rate for children with these types of brain tumors is between 60 percent and 80 percent.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Robert Dicks
Media Relations Manager
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
700 Welch Rd., Ste. 310A
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 497-8364
kdicks@lpch.org
http://www.lpch.org