Posterior Fossa Tumors

Following accidents, the leading cause of death in children is cancer. Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are the most common solid pediatric neoplasms. Sixty percent of these tumors arise in the posterior fossa. The symptoms of a posterior fossa tumor are more specific to its infratentorial localization than to its histological type. The most frequent complaints are symptoms related to hydrocephalus, followed by symptoms of brainstem, cerebellar, and cranial nerve (CN) dysfunction. Almost every patient with a newly diagnosed posterior fossa mass lesion must be rapidly evaluated and treated.