Treatment Options For An Ependymoma

Surgical Removal

Surgical removal is the first treatment option recommended for an ependymoma. A team of neurosurgeons will excise as much of the tumor as they can. The ultimate goal is complete removal of the tumor, but this isn't always possible. In some cases, the tumor is located near essential spinal or brain tissue, and removing it would risk damage to the nervous system. When surgeons are able to remove the entire tumor, a patient might not need follow-up treatment. If only part of the ependymoma is excised, the surgeon might recommend having another operation to attempt removing the rest. If the ependymoma cannot be removed or is aggressive enough that the chances of recurrence are high, alternative treatments are recommended.

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Chemotherapy

Though chemotherapy shows promise as a treatment for many cancers, it's not very effective at treating an ependymoma. This treatment is used on an experimental basis and hasn't shown many promising results. Because of this, it isn't a first-line treatment. It may be combined with radiosurgery in cases where both surgery and radiation have failed. There are also promising results when using chemotherapy in infants directly before radiotherapy. This helps decrease the disease, which makes effective radiotherapy sessions more likely. Chemotherapy might also be effective for children who have residual tumors after surgery, as long as it's paired with radiosurgery. Experts recommend managing chemotherapy protocols through a group trial.

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