Medulloblasotoma is a cancer that usually affects children. To diagnose the problem, a doctor will use blood tests and/or an imaging test such as a CT scan or MRI to find the tumor, a biopsy of the tumor to confirm it is cancerous and then a test of spinal fluid to see if the cancerous cells have spread to the spine or not.
Identification
A medulloblasotoma is a malignant brain tumor that is primarily found in the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls balance and most of the essential motor skills. According to the Children's Hospital of Boston, medulloblasotoma is primarily a childhood cancer and accounts for nearly 20 percent of all pediatric cancers.
Effects
Medulloblasotoma generates readily noticeable symptoms that grow as the pressure in the head created by the tumor increases. Some of the more common symptoms include nausea that can lead to vomiting, sudden but severe headaches that last a long time and a sense of irritability or anxiousness for no apparent reason.
Considerations
Because medulloblasotoma affects the part of the brain that controls the motor functions, many of the symptoms are evident in acts such as walking and writing. These symptoms include an inability to walk that begins as an occasional clumsiness and evolves into difficulty in taking just a step or two, a decreased loss of legibility to the person's handwriting as well as swift mood swings that can come on unexpectedly and remain for an undetermined amount of time. Behavioral problems such as an inability to be sociable, unexplained aggression and a decline in the ability to focus on or complete tasks may also begin to surface and get increasingly worse over time.
Potential
Medulloblasotoma may start to spread towards the spinal cord and create new symptoms. These include back pain that can be intense at times and a loss of bowel or bladder control. It may become painful for the person to walk or tolerate pressure on the back of the head.
Prevention/Solution
Treatment consists of a combination of surgery to remove the tumor or tumors, chemotherapy medication and radiation therapy. Deciding on surgery may be difficult depending on where the tumor is located. If the tumor is in a position where it is causing fluid to build-up in the brain because it is blocking the flow of blood or some other fluid, surgery may be critical to survival.
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