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Tumors of the cerebellum belong to the group of neoplasms of the central nervous system. They can be both benign and malignant, primary and the result of metastasis from other organs. Cerebellar tumors can give some specific symptoms, which make it possible to suspect that this is in this part of the brain that the tumor has developed - what are the symptoms?

Cerebellar tumorsconstitute about 20 percent of CNS tumors in adults and about 70 percent in children.Tumors of the central nervous systemare divided into supratentorial and subtentorial - this division is based on whether the tumor grows above the cerebellar tent or under this structure.

Subtentorial tumorsare referred to asposterior skull fossa tumors . The structures located there include, among others, the cerebellum and the brainstem. Tumors of the posterior fossa of the skull are found mainly in children - of all brain tumors that are found in this age group, up to 70% of them are located in this location. In adults, proliferative diseases located within the posterior fossa of the skull constitute up to 20% of all CNS tumors. Generally, the most common tumors of the posterior fossa of the skull are those that occur within the cerebellum.

Cerebellar tumors: types

Both benign and malignant tumors can develop within the cerebellum. In the case of the latter, the cerebellum may be both the location of the primary tumor focus and the site of tumor metastasis from some other organ (e.g. from the breast, lung or kidney). , are mainly:

  • medulloblastoma
  • ependymomas
  • primary neuroectodermal tumors
  • gliomas (glioblastoma)
  • astrocytoma
  • papillomas of the choroid plexus (papilloma)
  • hemangiomas (hemangioblastoma)

Changes that may give an image of a cerebellar tumor, and at the same time are not cancerous, are abscesses of the cerebellum, cysts of this organ and encysted parasites (e.g. echinococcosis).

Cerebellar tumors: causes

The reasons why people develop cerebellar tumors are not fully known. For the potential causesIn tumors of the cerebellum, genetic disorders are considered. These include, for example, mutations of suppressor genes (i.e. those whose role is to stop pathological cells from reproducing), as well as various genetic diseases associated with an increased predisposition to the occurrence of central nervous system neoplasms, such as e.g. Li-Fraumeni syndrome (in at increased risk of medulloblastoma). Exposure to various toxic substances and undergoing radiotherapeutic treatment are also considered likely causes of cerebellar tumors.

Cerebellar tumors: symptoms

Symptoms of cerebellar tumors depend both on their specific location and size, as well as on the type of a particular tumor and the nature of its growth. In particular, ailments such as:

  • dysmetria (in its course, patients have problems with the correct assessment of distance, as well as with stopping the performed motor activity at any time)
  • ataxia (associated with impaired motor coordination, its manifestation may be e.g. walking with widely spaced legs)
  • nystagmus
  • hemiplegia
  • paralysis of eye movements, double vision (appearing as a result of pressure on the brain stem and on the nuclei of the cranial nerves - oculomotor, trochlear and abduction)

The result of the development of a cerebellar tumor quite often is also an increase in intracranial pressure. When this ailment occurs, patients may experience:

  • severe headaches
  • vomiting
  • dizziness
  • hydrocephalus (this problem especially affects children with tumors of the cerebellum)
  • squint
  • visual disturbance (related to optic disc edema)
  • meningeal symptoms (e.g. neck stiffness)

Cerebellar tumors: diagnosis

Suspicion of a cerebellar tumor may be made on the basis of the patient's symptoms, but such suspicion must be confirmed by appropriate tests. In the diagnosis of tumors of the cerebellum, imaging tests, such as computed tomography of the head and magnetic resonance imaging, are mainly used. Functional imaging studies such as positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission tomography (SPECT) can also be performed. In the diagnostic process, lumbar puncture may also be used (to assess the cerebrospinal fluid in terms of, for example, the presence of cancer cells in it). After the presence of a cerebellar tumor in the patient is detected, it is performeda stereotaxic biopsy, the aim of which is to obtain the material and then to conduct a histopathological examination, may be used - it allows to make an accurate diagnosis of the type of cerebellar tumor, as well as to determine which treatment will be most appropriate for a given patient and to assess the prognosis of such a patient.

Cerebellar tumors: treatment

As in the case of other neoplastic diseases of the central nervous system, the basic therapeutic procedure in cerebellar tumors includes surgical treatment. The best results are obtained when the cerebellar tumor is completely removed. This is not always possible right away - sometimes patients undergo radiotherapy or chemotherapy before surgery to reduce the original tumor mass. However, both of the above-mentioned methods have some limitations - patients are carefully assessed before applying them, e.g. due to late complications of radiotherapy. In the case of chemotherapy, it is taken into account both that a large proportion of central tumors are resistant to chemotherapeutic agents, and that the penetration of drugs through the blood-brain barrier is limited, which makes it necessary to use high doses of chemotherapy - and these carry with them There is a risk of systemic complications from treatment. Patients with tumors of the cerebellum may also receive medications to relieve their symptoms. Symptomatic treatment of cerebellar tumors is based on the use of glucocorticosteroids (to lower intracranial pressure) and the prophylactic use of antiepileptic drugs (their administration is to prevent seizures).

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Category:

Oncology