Central Nervous System:

General Overview of Tumors and their Management

by Hetty L. DeVroom, R.N.

Surgical Neurology Branch, NINDS

National Institutes of Health

• Central Nervous System

  Brain

  • Cerebrum
  • Cerebellum

  Spinal Cord

  • Cervical
  • Thoracic
  • Lumbar/sacral

   

• Brain

  Cerebrum

  • Frontal -- thought, reasoning
  • Temporal -- emotion, behavior
  • Parietal -- intellect, memory
  • Occipital -- vision

  Cerebellum

  • Balance, coordination

   

• Histological Origin of Tumors

  Intracerebral

  • Malignant tumors

  Supporting structures

  • Meningiomas

  Metastatic

  • Traveling from other areas of the body

  Genetically related -- hemangioblastoma

   

• Hemangioblastoma

  Description

  • Vascular tumor
  • Slow-growing

  Location

  • Cerebellum, single or multiple tumor

   

• Signs and Symptoms

  • Dizziness, loss of balance, IICP (headache, lethargy, visual disturbance, speech problems)

   

• Treatment in the Brain

  Treatment

  • Observe and follow
  • Surgery -- critical location, cyst
  • radiosurgery (Gamma Knife)
  • Conventional radiation

  Prognosis

  • Tumor removal curative, but others may appear

   

• Spinal Cord

  Function of spinal cord

  • Conducts sensory and motor impulses to and from the brain and controls many reflexes

  Location of hemangioblastomas

  • Cervical and thoracic spine -- most common
  • Lumbar/sacral -- occasionally

   

• Treatment in the Spinal Cord

  Treatment

  • Observe and follow
  • Surgery -- critical location, cyst

  Prognosis

  • Tumor removal, but others may appear

   

• Summary of CNS Tumors

  Routine MRI images

  Continued follow-up with primary doctor

  Cysts are made by the tumor

  Just because a tumor is there, doesn't mean it has to be operated on!

Outline of her talk presented at the 4th International Patient/Provider Conference on Von Hippel-Lindau, Seattle, Washington, June 1998. Go to the agenda for the meeting.