Definition of Medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma: A type of brain tumor that tends to occur in children, arise in the cerebellum (in the lower part of the brain), and spread along the spine.

Medulloblastoma is the most common type of primary brain tumor in childhood. It is a type of primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Medulloblastoma occasionally metastasizes outside the central nervous system, usually to bone.

Surgery and radiotherapy have been the mainstays of treatment. Chemotherapy now also has a place in treatment. Currently, up to half of the children with medulloblastoma are free of the disease 10 years after diagnosis.