Brain Tumors in Children

Twenty-four per cent of brain tumors of children aged less than 15 years were found to be astrocytomas, 20% were medulloblastomas and 11% were ependymomas. If the astroblastomas (3%) and ependymoblastomas (3%) are added to these, these groups of tumors comprise 61% of all brain tumors of children. Gliomas constituted 84% of all the tumors in children. Six tumors were found in infants 1 year of age or less. The youngest infants were 2 months old. Astrocytomas were slightly more common in children aged 5 years or less than in the older group. Medulloblastomas and ependymomas were distinctly more common in the younger group than in the older group. Seventy-one per cent of tumors in the age group from birth through 5 years of age were infratentorial; 28% were supratentorial; 1 tumor (1%) was both infratentorial and supratentorial. In the group 6 through 14 years of age, 64% were infratentorial and 36% were supratentorial. Thirty per cent of infratentorial tumors were astrocytomas and 30% were medulloblastomas. Sixteen per cent of supratentorial tumors were craniopharyngiomas, 12% were astrocytomas and 12% were glioblastoma multiforme. Under present conditions at the Mayo Clinic, 54% of all children who undergo operation for tumor of the brain survive for six months or more. Of 256 patients observed for five years or more after operation, 13.3% survive for at least five years. The longest survival period was 20 years after operation. This patient had had an astrocytoma removed in 1926.