Patient's question:
In 2007, a 9-year-old girl suddenly developed petit mal seizures accompanied by automatisms, hallucinations, and unconsciousness for about 1 minute. In 2008, an MRI revealed a space-occupying lesion in the left occipital lobe, measuring approximately 1.51.5 cm. Dynamic observation showed no change in the tumor, but the seizures were not well-controlled by medication. In October of this year, she underwent surgery to remove the lesion in Ward 8 of the hospital. The surgical recovery has been good.Doctor's answer:
Most astrocytomas in children are benign, especially pilocytic astrocytomas, which are classified as grade I. If completely resected surgically, they can be cured lifelong without the need for radiotherapy or chemotherapy. This case may have a grade I pathology, with the highest grade not exceeding grade II. If the surgery is thorough, radiotherapy may not be necessary, especially for children, as radiation can cause cognitive decline and affect a child's intelligence. Therefore, I recommend not performing radiotherapy initially but should monitor regularly. Enhanced MRI should be repeated every three months, then every six months, and finally annually or every few years. If there are no signs of recurrence, continue monitoring, as there is a possibility of cure.