[Review and update about medulloblastoma in children]

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant CNS tumor in children. Although all medulloblastomas are classified as grade IV lesions, the wide histological and molecular variation among these tumors means that the risk and prognosis involved also vary widely. Imaging studies are important not only because the initial diagnostic evaluation indicates what type of surgery will be performed and has prognostic value, but also because it influences the postoperative treatment approach, providing, among other details, information about the dissemination of disease and remnants of the tumor after surgery, which are both risk factors in medulloblastomas. Improvements in our understanding of the biological and molecular characteristics of medulloblastoma promise a dramatic change in the accuracy of staging and treatment of this tumor in the near future that are sure to bring about further improvements in survival.