Overview

Children with brain tumors are treated at Seattle Children’s, an SCCA parent organization.

Seattle Children's has a long history of successfully caring for children and teens who have brain tumors. Brain tumors is the term that covers many types of tumors, or abnormal growths of cells, within the skull. Not all brain tumors are cancerous however. Tumors in the brain can have a wide range of effects. They can impact your senses, learning, memory, emotions, movement, and organs. The effects of brain tumors and the best treatment depend on the type of tumor your child has, where it’s located, how much it has spread, your child’s age and other aspects of your child’s health.

Cancer in children is not very common. Only about one percent of cancers diagnosed in the United States are in children. So community doctors usually have limited knowledge of pediatric cancer treatment. This is why almost all children with cancer in the United States receive treatment through one of the children’s cancer centers that make up the Children’s Oncology Group. Children diagnosed with brain tumors are usually treated at SCCA's parent organization, Seattle Children's.

Seattle Children’s cancer program brings together experts from more than 20 subspecialties to provide diagnostic services and treatments, including the very latest options. The team of pediatric oncologists, neurosurgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, child life specialists and chaplains partner with you to provide expert, family-centered care and compassionate support. We help you understand your child’s health and treatment options because you, your child and your family are an important part of the care team.

Because Children’s doctors take part in national and international research studies, and often lead them, Children’s can offer new treatment options that many other hospitals cannot give their patients. In 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Children’s cancer program #5 in the nation.

Read more about Brain Tumors on the Seattle Children's web site. 

To make an appointment, call Seattle Children's at (206) 977-2106.