Brain Tumors in Children

Tumors of the central nervous system constitute the largest group of solid neoplasms in children and are second only to leukemia in their overall frequency during childhood. Each year, brain tumors develop in approximately 1500 to 2000 children in the United States; the number of tumors appears to have increased slightly from 1974 to 198813. Although the mortality rate for these neoplasms exceeds the rates for many other childhood tumors, recent therapeutic advances coupled with refinements in neuroimaging techniques, which have facilitated earlier diagnosis and improved treatment planning, have increased the percentage of affected children who survive to . . .