What are the different types of brain tumours?
Many different types of brain tumours occur in children and most of them are either named after the cell type or the area of the brain in which they occur. For example, gliomas, which account for nearly half of all paediatric brain tumours, arise from the glial cells which support the nervous system. However, many tumours may have more than one name, which can be very confusing. • Medulloblastomas are the most common type of malignant brain tumour in children and tend to occur in children between the ages of 4 and 10 years. They usually develop in the cerebellum at the back of the brain – however, they may spread to other parts of the brain or into the spinal cord. The symptoms are very similar to those of cerebellar astrocytomas (see below) as they occur in the same part of the brain. • Gliomal tumours can be subdivided into two main types. These are called astrocytomas and ependymomas. Astrocytomas are benign glial tumours and in children they often occur in the cerebellum area of th
