A medulloblastoma is a type of brain tumour that forms in the cerebellum near the brainstem. The cerebellum, which is responsible for controlling balance, reflexes, movements, and similar practices, is located at the back of the head. Therefore, when there is a tumour in the cerebellum, balance, reflexes, and other facets are affected.
Medulloblastomas can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of their age or physical condition. However, they tend to be more common in children, especially when they start in the brain, which is known as a primary tumour. Adults, on the other hand, are more commonly affected by secondary tumours, which is when cancer spreads to the brain from somewhere else and forms a tumour.
Unfortunately, as with other forms of cancer, there is no concrete cure for medulloblastomas. There are, however, treatments that can potentially eliminate the cancerous tumour and allow you to live a mostly normal and full life. However, medulloblastomas are one of the most aggressive and fastest-spreading types of tumours in the body, which means that early diagnosis and treatment are essential.
Currently, surgery is the most common treatment used in patients with medulloblastomas. There are several forms of surgery that your doctor might recommend if you have this type of brain tumour.
Aside from the dangers of cancer, fluid buildup is one of the most common potential problems with medulloblastomas. Fluid buildup puts pressure on the brain, and the tumour can get big enough to block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid completely. To combat this, your doctor may create a new pathway for the fluid or perform a procedure where they drain excess fluid.
Fluid removal is a good treatment to relieve some of the symptoms of medulloblastoma. However, it will not cure your condition or remove the tumour. To do that, you will need to undergo surgery specifically to remove the tumour.
However, because of where medulloblastomas are usually located, completely removing the tumour is not always possible. Therefore, the goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumour as possible without damaging the brain.
Because it is usually not possible to completely remove a medulloblastoma, surgery must be combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is one of the most common cancer treatments available and involves using medications that kill cancer cells. These medications are sent to the brain, where they destroy healthy and cancerous brain cells alike.
Chemotherapy is often used before surgery to shrink a tumour or after surgery for the same reasons.
In addition to chemotherapy, radiation is often used as a complementary treatment with chemotherapy and surgery. Radiation therapy is where you use high-energy beams of radiation to target and destroy cancer cells. It is often used in conjunction with chemotherapy before or after surgery to shrink a tumour or eradicate any cancer that gets left behind after the surgery. Radiation therapy is more targeted than chemotherapy because it only kills cancer cells and not healthy ones.
In most cases, a combination of all three treatments is necessary to cure someone with a medulloblastoma. Combining all three treatments offers a survival rate of nearly 75%, while the odds are much less if you only opt for one of the three treatments. Depending on where you live, your age, and how advanced the cancer is, there may also be clinical trials available.