Untreated SPN and pineal tumors: The doctor will surgically remove as much of the cancer as possible. Follow-up treatment depends on the child's age and how high the risk of recurrence is.
The risk is average if the patient is older than 3 and has very little cancer remaining after surgery and has no evidence of metastasis. The doctor will probably give such a patient radiation therapy after surgery.
The risk of recurrence is higher in a child who is younger than 3 and whose cancer couldn't be surgically removed or has spread within the brain. The doctor will probably give the child radiation therapy and chemotherapy after surgery. Researchers are studying how children younger than 3 respond to chemotherapy, hoping to delay or avoid radiation treatment.
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