脉络丛癌

诊断

脉络丛癌最常发生于 2 岁以下的儿童。用于诊断脉络丛癌的检查和医疗操作包括：

• 神经系统检查。在这项检查中，会检测儿童的视力、听力、平衡感、协调性和反射，以确定大脑的哪个部分可能受到肿瘤的影响。
• 脑影像学检查。用于呈现儿童大脑图像的检查包括 MRI 和 CT。MRI 还可帮助儿童的医疗团队进行手术安排。
• 基因检测。一些脉络丛癌与家族中遗传的某些基因突变有关。建议通过各项检查来鉴别某些基因。向儿童的医务人员咨询有关基因检测和遗传咨询的情况。

儿童的治疗通常不同于成人的治疗。如果您的孩子被诊断出脉络丛癌，请医务人员安排转诊给护理脑肿瘤患儿的专科医生。这种癌症的管理较为复杂。请寻找有治疗这种癌症经验并且可以为孩子提供最新治疗方案的医疗中心。

治疗

脉络丛癌的治疗通常是手术后化疗、放疗或综合两种治疗方式。

• 手术。手术的目标是尽可能切除所有癌组织。但是，由于癌组织附近可能有些精细的重要结构，外科医生有时无法切除所有癌细胞。通常，术后需要接受其他治疗。

  手术可以帮助缓解大脑内积液过多（脑积水）的症状。有时，会在手术过程中放置一根临时导管，以排出更多积液。

• 化疗。化疗是使用药物来杀死癌细胞。除了手术和放疗外，化疗也可帮助控制肿瘤。有时，会同时进行化疗与放疗。
• 放射疗法。放疗是指使用强大的能量束来杀死肿瘤细胞。能量可能来自 X 线、质子和其他来源。一些先进技术可帮助有效治疗癌症，同时保留健康组织。即使成功切除整个肿瘤，手术后也可能会使用放疗。如果肿瘤再次生长，也可能会使用放疗。
• 临床试验。临床试验是对新疗法进行研究。这些研究让患者有机会尝试最新的治疗方法。但副作用的风险可能未知。每项试验都有严格的要求，必须符合条件才能参加试验。请向医务人员询问您是否能够参加临床试验。

准备您的预约

Make an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare professional if your child has any symptoms that worry you. If your healthcare professional thinks your child could have a condition that affects the brain, that person might refer you to a specialist. Often this is a doctor who specializes in diseases that affect the brain and nervous system, called a neurologist.

Because appointments can be brief, it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready.

What you can do

• Be aware of anything you need to do ahead of time. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your child's diet.
• Write down symptoms your child has, including any that may not seem related to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
• Write down important personal information, including major stresses or recent life changes.
• Make a list of all medicines, vitamins and supplements your child is taking and the doses.
• Take a family member or friend along. Sometimes it can be very hard to remember all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who goes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
• Write down questions to ask your healthcare team.

Your time with your healthcare team is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For choroid plexus carcinoma, some basic questions to ask include:

• Does my child have choroid plexus carcinoma?
• What is the stage of my child's choroid plexus carcinoma?
• Has the choroid plexus carcinoma spread to other parts of my child's body?
• Will my child need more tests?
• What are the treatment options?
• How much does each treatment increase the chances of a cure or prolong a child's life?
• What are the potential side effects of each treatment?
• How will each treatment affect my child's daily life?
• Is there one treatment option you believe is the best?
• What would you recommend to a friend or family member in my situation?
• Should my child see a specialist?
• Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
• What will determine whether I should plan for a follow-up visit?

Don't hesitate to ask other questions.

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer questions, such as:

• When did your child's symptoms begin?
• Do your child's symptoms happen all the time or do they come and go?
• How bad are the symptoms?
• What, if anything, seems to improve the symptoms?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen the symptoms?