What is medulloblastoma?

Also known as: cerebellar primitive neuroectodermal tumor, PNET.

Of cancerous brain tumors that can affect children, medulloblastoma is the most common. They represent about 20 percent if childhood brain tumors, particularly in children between the ages of 3 and 8 years, with boys affected more than girls.

Medulloblastomas form at the bottom of the brain in an area called the posterior fossa (the area of the brain that controls balance, coordination and other functions), and tends to spread through the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid-CSF) to other parts of the brain and the 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