Childhood Brain Tumor Symptoms: Recognizing Warning Signs

According to Boston Children's Hospital, only 2,200 children per year are diagnosed with a brain tumor, but St. Jude Children's Hospital indicates that brain cancer is the second-most prominent form of childhood cancer. Because a child's brain is still developing, a tumor may cause permanent damage. Understanding the symptoms of childhood brain tumors can improve a child's chances of recovery.

Infants

• A brain tumor may cause an infant's head to swell in circumference. This is a combination of the retention of fluids caused by a tumor, and the tumor itself.

Nausea

• A child with a brain tumor may begin to experience nausea, most notably in the morning just after he awakens. As the condition advances, nausea may be accompanied by vomiting.

Coordination

• The child may begin to show signs of a lack of coordination. One of the first of these signs will be an inability to walk without falling down.

Speech

• If the child has developed the ability to speak when she is afflicted with a brain tumor, her speech may become slurred or indistinguishable.

Cardiac Issues

• Boston Children's Hospital indicates that breathing problems are an advanced symptoms of a brain tumor in a child. Cardiac issues may arise that could eventually lead to a coma.