Brain tumour chemotherapy
What you need to know about
Brain Tumour Chemotherapy
If you know anyone who’s been through chemotherapy, you may already have some ideas about how it might impact your child.
But every person is different, and it’s impossible to know how they will react to the treatment.
Knowing how chemotherapy works will hopefully help you to approach this treatment with more of an understanding.
What is it?
Chemotherapy uses powerful medicines to treat cancer cells. The drugs move around the body through the bloodstream. Your child may be given chemotherapy intravenously (into a vein) through a tube in their hand, arm or chest. In some cases it can be given in pill form, but this isn’t common. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other treatments. There are many kinds of chemotherapy drugs and it is likely your child will have a combination of a few. Doctors will choose which drugs to use depending on your child’s age, the type of tumour and its grade.
How does it work?
Chemotherapy attacks the the brain tumour cells disrupting how they grow. It isn’t used on every type of brain tumour. It is sometimes used to shrink or limit the growth of the tumour – it won’t always rid your child of the tumour.
Your own body makes it hard to deliver chemotherapy to the brain as the blood-brain barrier is there to prevent toxic substances like the chemotherapy drugs from reaching the brain.
Should my child have chemotherapy?
It is not an easy answer. Your medical team will advise you best carefully assessing your child’s individual needs. To help you decide, ask about side-effects and the effectiveness of chemotherapy on your child’s specific type of tumour.
When will my child have chemotherapy?
It can be before or after surgery, or on its own if surgery is not an option. It may be give before, during or after radiotherapy or instead of radiotherapy if your child is too young. It may be given if a brain tumour comes back.
Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles, so your child has time to recover from the side effects. They may be given the drugs for a few days every few weeks, with a rest period in between. A lot will depend on which drugs are being used.
How is chemotherapy given?
Your child may be given chemotherapy intravenously (into a vein) This may initially be through a cannula on your child’s hand. In time, your child will be fitted with a tube depending on the type of chemotherapy they are being given.
Your child may have a central line fitted by general anaesthetic which runs through a large vein in the chest with an ‘exit’ in their chest. The exit is where the tube comes out and medicine can be put in. A PICC line is similar the ‘exit’ is in their arm. A portacath sits under the skin either in the hest or arm. It is all internal so requires no tube. Medicine is injected into the port
All of these can stay in for a long period of time, so don’t need to be reinserted each time your child has treatment. This is the most common method used for chemotherapy.
Sometimes, children can be given oral chemotherapy via a tablet or liquid. This is less common in children as their stomachs may not be able to absorb the medication.
Chemotherapy may also be given in rare cases using an Ommaya reservoir. This is a plastic dome placed under the skin of your child’s scalp during surgery. This technique is not commonly used, but means chemotherapy drugs can be delivered straight into the fluid in the brain.
What happens after treatment?
Side effects vary from child to child, and depending on the combination of drugs they are given. Your child’s consultant can go through the likely side-effects with you, and if you are worried talk to the consultant or specialist nurse. There may be other medication available to help manage the side-effects.
The most common side effect is an increased risk of infection due to their immunity system being lower. Their blood will be tested regularly to ensure there is no infection. Doctors may suggest you increase hygiene and cleaning in your home during treatment to lower their chances of catching something.
Your child may also lose their hair, and feel weak, tired or nauseous. In some cases your child might be constipated, become anaemic or develop a sore mouth. They may be given medication to relieve the side-effects.
What are the most common side effects
- lowered immunity
- low red blood cell count (anaemia)
- hair loss
- constipation or diarrhoea
- tiredness (fatigue)
- nausea
- sore mouth
- sensitive skin
- allergic reactions
Questions you could ask your child’s team about brain tumour chemotherapy
- What chemotherapy is being offered?
- What will the side effects be, physical and emotional? When will they kick in?
- If chemotherapy is offered, can my child have molecular testing to see whether the tumour will respond to the treatment?
- How long will it take for my child to recover from the treatment?
