| | Central nervous system (CNS) cancer occurs in the brain and spinal cord. The brain is the center of thought, memory and emotion. It controls the five senses of smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight, as well as other basic functions of the body, including heartbeat, circulation and muscle movement. Brain tumors are the second-most-common type of cancer in children, after leukemia. The spinal cord consists of nerves that carry information from the brain to the body, and vice versa.
In the United States, about 2,200 children are diagnosed with cancerous CNS tumors each year. Ninety percent occur in the brain.
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