Ependymoma

Brain tumour

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An ependymoma is a mass of irregular cells (tumor) in your brain or spinal cord. It’s a type of primary central nervous system tumor. Ependymomas start in your brain or spinal cord instead of starting elsewhere and spreading to your brain or spinal cord. Ependymomas tend to grow slowly and usually don’t spread to other parts of your body.

An ependymoma is a type of glioma, meaning it starts in glial cells. Glial cells help support the neurons in your brain and spinal cord.

Treatment of Ependynoma

Your healthcare providers may treat an ependymoma with:

  • Surgery: Surgery is the most common ependymoma treatment. Your neurosurgeon removes as much of the tumor as possible while keeping healthy tissue intact. Surgery is often the only treatment you need for an ependymoma.
  • Radiation therapy: Your radiation oncologist uses strong energy beams to shrink or destroy tumor cells. Many people have radiation therapy before or after surgery.
  • Chemotherapy: You take medicines that destroy fast-growing cells, including tumor cells. You may need chemotherapy if the tumor has spread to other areas of your body, which is rare with ependymomas.
  • Immunotherapy: You take drugs that stimulate your immune system to fight cancer more effectively. Immunotherapy is a rare treatment for an ependymoma, but you may need it if the tumor has spread to other parts of your body.
  • Targeted therapy: This treatment uses drugs or other substances that target specific cells to attack cancer cells or keep them from growing. It’s rarely used as a treatment for ependymoma.