What is CSI in radiotherapy?

What is CSI in radiotherapy?

Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) is a radiation technique used for patients with central nervous system malignancies, such as medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

What angles are used for brain and spine irradiation?

Two bilateral fields were used for whole brain and two posterior-oblique fields with 30° wedge at gantry angles 45° and 315° to cover cervical and part of thoracic spine (mostly up to T8-T9).

How is medulloblastoma treated?

Most people with medulloblastomas receive further treatments. Treatments may include radiation, chemotherapy, or taking part in clinical trials. Surgery is usually followed by radiation to the brain and spine since this disease tends to spread in the brain and spine.

Can radiation cause brain damage?

Radiation to the brain can also have side effects that show up later – usually from 6 months to many years after treatment ends. These delayed effects can include serious problems such as memory loss, stroke-like symptoms, and poor brain function.

What is a ependymoma?

An ependymoma is a primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. This means it begins in the brain or spinal cord. To get an accurate diagnosis, a piece of tumor tissue will be removed during surgery, if possible. A neuropathologist should then review the tumor tissue.

Do you need chemo for medulloblastoma?

In general, chemo is used for faster growing tumors. Some types of brain tumors, such as medulloblastomas, tend to respond well to chemo. Chemo is most often used along with other types of treatment such as surgery and radiation therapy. It may be used instead of radiation therapy in children 3 years and younger.

Can you survive ependymoma?

Ependymoma Prognosis The relative 5-year survival rate for ependymoma is 83.9% but know that many factors can affect prognosis. This includes the tumor grade and type, traits of the cancer, the person’s age and health when diagnosed, and how they respond to treatment.

Is ependymoma benign or malignant?

Childhood ependymoma is a rare, malignant type of brain tumor that most often occurs in young children. Ependymomas originate from radial glial cells, which are a type of normal cell within the brain. A tumor begins when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass.

How many times can a person have whole brain radiation?

Whole-brain radiation applies radiation to the entire brain in order to kill tumor cells. People undergoing whole-brain radiation usually require 10 to 15 treatments over two to three weeks. Side effects may include fatigue, nausea and hair loss.