ON THIS PAGE: You will read about how to cope with challenges in everyday life after your child’s diagnosis. Use the menu to see other pages.

What is survivorship?

The word “survivorship” means different things to different people, but it often describes living with, through, and beyond the diagnosis of a central nervous system (CNS) tumor. In some ways, survivorship is one of the most complicated parts of the experience because it is different for every child and their family.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn more about clinical trials, which are the main way that new medical approaches are studied to see how well they work. Use the menu to see other pages.

What are clinical trials?

Doctors and scientists are always looking for better ways to care for children with astrocytoma. To make scientific advances, doctors create research studies involving volunteers, called clinical trials. Every drug that is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was tested in clinical trials.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe astrocytoma’s growth or spread. This is called the stage or grade. Use the menu to see other pages.

READ MORE BELOW:

• What is staging?

• Grade

ON THIS PAGE: You will find some helpful links to other areas of Cancer.Net that provide information about medical care and treatment. This is the final page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Childhood Astrocytoma. Use the menu to go back and see other pages.

Cancer.Net includes many other sections about the medical and emotional aspects of being diagnosed with a tumor for the patient and their family members and friends. This website is meant to be a resource for you and your loved ones from the time of diagnosis, through treatment, and beyond.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find a list of common tests, procedures, and scans that doctors use to find the cause of a medical problem. Use the menu to see other pages.

Doctors use many tests to find, or diagnose, astrocytoma. They also do tests to learn if the tumor has spread to another part of the body from where it started. If the tumor has spread, it is called metastasis. Doctors may also do tests to learn which treatments could work best.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the factors that increase the chance of developing astrocytoma. Use the menu to see other pages.

What are the risk factors for astrocytoma?

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a tumor. Although risk factors often influence the development of a tumor, most do not directly cause a tumor. Some people with several risk factors never develop a tumor, while others with no known risk factors do.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find some questions to ask your child’s medical care team, to help you better understand your child’s diagnosis, treatment plan, and overall care. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will read about your child’s medical care after treatment for astrocytoma is completed and why this follow-up care is important. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn more about coping with the physical, emotional, social, and financial effects of astrocytoma and its treatment. Use the menu to see other pages.

Every treatment for astrocytoma can cause side effects or changes to your child’s body and how they feel. For many reasons, children do not experience the same side effects even when given the same treatment. This can make it hard to predict how your child will feel during treatment.

READ MORE BELOW: