FRED J. EPSTEIN, MD: Well, it's hard to be overly complex
about it. A brain tumor is basically a lump in the brain that's getting
bigger and causing symptoms as it gets larger, because, if you think about
it, I mean -- the brain is within a skull which is essentially a closed
box. And if one has a lump growing inside of the brain, it's going
to cause some pressure and symptoms, and that's what the source of the
symptoms.
MARTY MOSS-COANE: And are there certain parts of the brain
where it's more common to find a brain tumor?
GEORGE JALLO, MD: In children, yes. The majority
of tumors that are seen in children, if I can illustrate --
MARTY MOSS-COANE: Please do.
GEORGE JALLO, MD: Are in the posterior fossa and in this
region right here. It's really the smaller part of the brain.
But I'd say about 70-80% of brain tumors occur in this region alone.
MARTY MOSS-COANE: And there are two kinds of brain tumors
-- both the ...?
GEORGE JALLO, MD: There's benign and malignant tumors.
And benign tend to be indolent and malignant tumors are more aggressive,
require other forms of therapy in addition to surgery.
FRED J. EPSTEIN, MD: One of the things that's fortunate
-- fortunate, maybe that's a bad word when you look at a child with a brain
tumor. But most of them are benign.
MARTY MOSS-COANE: Interesting.
