Central Nervous System Tumors (Brain and Spinal Cord) - Childhood: Symptoms and Signs

Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 09/2023

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about changes and medical problems that can be a sign of a childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumor. Use the menu to see other pages.

What are the symptoms and signs of a childhood CNS tumor?

Children with a CNS tumor may experience one or more of the following symptoms or signs. Symptoms are changes that you can feel in your body. Signs are changes in something measured, like taking your blood pressure or doing a lab test. Together, symptoms and signs can help describe a medical problem. Sometimes, children with a CNS tumor do not have any of the symptoms and signs described below. Or, the cause of a symptom or sign may be a medical condition that is not a tumor.

The symptoms of a CNS tumor can affect any of the brain’s functions and depend on where the tumor is located. A CNS tumor may cause the following symptoms:

  • Headache, which is often increasingly severe over time and may wake a child up at night or develop early in the morning

  • Unexplained, persistent nausea and projectile vomiting

  • Weakness or clumsiness that is new, such as sudden difficulty walking and balancing, that seems to get worse

  • New vision problems

  • Developmental delay, loss of a development milestone, or a decline in usual academic learning level at school

  • Early or delayed onset of puberty

  • Delayed or abnormal growth

  • Pain, especially back pain

  • Irritability, listlessness, or changes in personality

  • A seizure or convulsion, which are sudden involuntary movements of a person’s muscles

  • Staring or repetitive automatic movements, such as a neck tilt or a squint

In a baby, the only symptom may be that the head circumference is growing too fast. An infant’s skull can expand to make room for a growing tumor, so the baby may have a larger head than expected.

If you are concerned about any changes your child experiences, please talk with your child’s doctor. The doctor will try to understand what is causing your child’s symptom(s). They may do an exam and order tests to understand the cause of the problem, which is called a diagnosis.

If a tumor is diagnosed, relieving symptoms remains an important part of care and treatment. Managing symptoms may also be called "palliative and supportive care," which is not the same as hospice care given at the end of life. This type of care focuses on managing symptoms and supporting people who face serious illnesses, such as a tumor. You can receive palliative and supportive care at any time during treatment. Learn more in this guide’s section on Coping with Treatment.

Be sure to talk with the health care team about the symptoms your child experiences, including any new symptoms or a change in symptoms.

The next section in this guide is Diagnosis. It explains what tests may be needed to learn more about the cause of the symptoms. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.