What is brainstem glioma?
In childhood brain stem glioma benign or cancerous cells can form a tumour in the brain stem. The brain stem is in the base of the brain connecting with the spinal cord. It controls breathing, heart rate, and the nerves and muscles used in seeing, hearing, walking, talking, and eating. There are two kinds:
- DIPG (diffuse interstitial pontine glioma) is a cancerous tumour that is hard to treat and all patients die, usually in less than a year. Nevertheless radiation may prolong survival.
- Focal glioma is slow-growing and more localized. It is easier to treat than DIPG with better survival and may respond to either radiation or chemotherapy.
What causes brain stem glioma?
The cause is usually unknown. A small number of patients have neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1, a genetic disorder), which is associated with focal or slow growing gliomas which can be observed or treated with simple chemotherapy.