Surgical approaches in pediatric neuro-oncology

Tumors of the central nervous system comprise nearly a quarter of all childhood cancers and are the most frequent solid tumor in the pediatric population. The most common location is in the posterior fossa, but tumors can occur anywhere intracranially. The spectrum of lesions encountered varies, from being completely benign and requiring surveillance alone to being highly malignant and requiring aggressive treatment in the form of surgery and adjuvant therapy. The extent of resection plays a crucial role in the oncological outcome of many of these tumors. A variety of surgical approaches are available for the spectrum of lesions encountered. This review focuses on summarizing the location, types, and neurosurgical management strategies for pediatric brain intracranial brain tumors. Here, we discuss neurosurgical approaches for a variety of brain tumors and regions, including the management of tumors of the posterior fossa, brainstem, pineal region, intraventricular region, sellar and suprasellar regions, optic pathway and hypothalamus, and supratentorial hemispheres.