What are embryonal brain tumors?

Also known as: central nervous system embryonal tumors, CNS embryonal tumors, brain tumors, brain cancer.

Embryonic (fetal) cells are a type of brain cell that remains in the brain after birth and while embryonic tumors can occur at any age they most often happen in babies and young children. There are a number of different types of embryonic brain tumors. Most are malignant (cancerous) while some are benign, or noncancerous.

The tumors can grow and press on other parts of the brain, growing quickly and spreading through the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid-CSF) to other parts of the brain and spinal cord.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM