Emergencies in Children and Young Adults with Central Nervous System Tumors

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors in childhood and adolescence. Evaluation and management of patients with CNS tumors by emergency medicine practitioners are critically important at the time of initial diagnosis as well as during emergency department visits for treatment-related complications. Increased intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus, spinal cord compression, or seizures may occur as a result of direct tumor disruption of normal CNS structures. For those patients who require radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, recognition of common adverse events from these treatment modalities is important for accurate diagnoses and management in the emergency department. Emergencies in survivors of childhood CNS tumors are also reviewed.