The pituitary gland makes hormones that help a child's body:
grow well
change from a child into an adult
maintain the right blood pressure
The optic tracts connect the optic nerves from the eyes to the brain, so a child can see.
The third ventricle of the brain is a fluid-filled space that connects with other fluid-filled spaces in and around the brain. The fluid in these spaces:
protects the brain from jolts and hits to the head
carries nutrients and gets rid of waste
When a craniopharyngioma pushes on these parts, they don't work well, so a child starts to have symptoms.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of a Craniopharyngioma?
When a craniopharyngioma grows and presses on the areas around it, a child might:
have headaches
have trouble seeing things to the far left and far right
have poor balance or trouble walking
have nausea and vomiting
The child also may:
need to drink more than usual
need to pee more often than usual
not go through the usual changes of puberty
grow slowly or not grow
not start having periods (menstruation)
have low blood pressure
be more tired than usual or sleep a lot
act differently (have a personality change)
What Causes Craniopharyngioma?
Experts think that craniopharyngiomas grow from leftover pieces of tissue that didn't disappear as expected in early pregnancy when the baby's head, face, and brain are forming.
Who Gets Craniopharyngioma?
Most craniopharyngiomas happen in kids 5 to 14 years old. But they can affect people of any age.
How Are Craniopharyngiomas Diagnosed?
Usually, parents notice one or more of the symptoms of a craniopharyngioma and take their child to a doctor. Other things can cause similar symptoms, so the doctor will:
ask questions about the symptoms and other medical problems (medical history)
do an exam
order blood tests to measure mineral and hormone levels
Surgeons usually remove the tumor as the first step in treatment. In many cases, surgery is done without any external incisions, using a camera on a thin tube passed into the nose. Rarely, the tumor is removed through a temporary hole cut in the skull.
The surgeon will put a drain tube (shunt) in at the time of surgery if the child has water on the brain (hydrocephalus). If the surgeon can't completely remove the tumor, the child may also need radiation therapy.
Doctors continue looking for new ways to treat craniopharyngiomas. Some patients might be candidates for a clinical trial. If your child has a craniopharyngioma, talk to the doctor about whether this might be a good treatment option.
What Else Should I Know?
After surgery to remove a craniopharyngioma, the pituitary gland may have some permanent injury. A child may have to take medicines to replace some hormones for life.
Radiation therapy can make the pituitary gland stop working several years after treatment. So children who had this treatment should see a hormone specialist (an endocrinologist) every year.
After treatment, doctors will do follow-up MRIs for several years to check if the tumor has come back.