A rare second brain tumor years after radiation for a childhood brain tumor
Original title: When the cure becomes the curse: Radiation-induced glioma of the pons in children surviving craniopharyngioma.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report on what happened to three children, not a treatment you can get.
The short version
Three children who had radiation for a childhood brain tumor later grew a new and very serious tumor in the brainstem.
What was studied. Doctors at several hospitals reported on three children who had a brain tumor called craniopharyngioma. Each child had surgery that removed part of the tumor, then had radiation.
What they found. Years later, all three children grew a new tumor in the pons, an area in the brainstem. The new tumor showed up between 4.5 and 9.75 years after the radiation. Two of the children felt fine, and the new tumor was found on a routine scan. All three children died, and they lived between 4.0 and 58 months after the new tumor was found.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Radiation can help control a childhood brain tumor, but it can also cause a new tumor many years later. The report calls this a rare problem. Two of these new tumors were spotted on routine scans before any symptoms started. That is a reason to ask your care team about long term follow up scans.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a test of a new treatment, and it is not a cure for anything. It is a look back at three children only. Three cases cannot tell you how often this happens or how likely it is for any one child. It does not mean radiation is the wrong choice. Only your own care team can weigh the good and the bad of radiation for your situation.
Source: PubMed, February 27, 2026 · Read the original
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