Summary
We examined potential clinical and pathologic correlates of seizures among the 3,291 children in the Childhood Brain Tumor Consortium database. Fourteen percent had seizures prior to their hospitalization for a brain tumor. Among children who had a supratentorial tumor, seizures occurred in 22% of those less than 14 years of age. The prevalence of seizures increased to 68% of older teenagers. Among children with an infratentorial tumor, the prevalence of seizures was relatively constant at 6% over all age groups. The onset of seizures began more than one year prior to surgical tumor removal in over half of the children aged five or more with supratentorial tumors, significantly longer than for those of the same age with infratentorial tumors. Almost all children (98.9%) with an infratentorial tumor and seizures had at least one other symptom and more than three-fourths of them had at least three. Eighty-nine percent of children with a supratentorial tumor and seizures had at least one other symptom and more than one-half had at least three symptoms. Regardless of whether the tumor was above or below the tentorium, confusion or stupor and coma were more common in children with seizures than in children without seizures. Among children with supratentorial tumors, symptoms of a declining academic performance or an abnormality of personality, speech, walking, or sensation were significantly more frequent in children with seizures, while visual symptoms (other than visual loss or diplopia) and nausea or vomiting were less frequent. Among children with supratentorial tumors, those who had seizures were more likely to have paralysis of an arm, hand, or face, confusion or stupor, or coma and less likely to exhibit irritability, papilledema, optic atrophy, decreased visual acuity, pupillary abnormalities, or abducens paresis. Among children with infratentorial tumors, those with seizures were significantly less likely to have truncal ataxia, but more likely to experience confusion.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Krayenbuhl H, Wever G: Diagnostik and Grundzuge der Therapie der Hirntumoren im Kindesalter. Helv Paediat Acta 2: 115–153, 1947
Tonnis W, Borck WF: Grosshirmumoren des Kindesalters. Zbl. Neurochir 13: 72–98, 1953
Millichap JG, Bickford RG, Miller RH, Backus RE: The electroencephalogram in children with intracranial tumours and seizures. Neurology 12: 329–336, 1962
Ketz E: Brain tumors and epilepsy. In: Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW (eds) Handbook of Clinical Neurology. North Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam pp 254–269, 1974
Livingston S: Comprehensive management of epilepsy in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, 1972
Page LK, Lombroso CT, Matson DD: Childhood epilepsy with late detection of cerebral glioma. J Neurosurg 31: 253–261, 1969
Rutledge SL, Snead OC, Morawetz R, Chandra-Sekar B: Brain tumors presenting as a seizure disorder in infants. J Child Neurol 2: 214–219, 1987
Childhood Brain Tumor Consortium: A study of childhood brain tumors based on surgical biopsies from ten North American institutions: Sample description. J Neuro-Oncol 6: 9–23, 1988
Gastaut H, Caveness WF, Landolt H, Lorenzo de Haas AM, McNaughton FL, Magnus O, Merlis JK, Pond DA, Radermecker J, van Leeuwen WS: A proposed international classification of epileptic seizures. Epilepsia 5: 297–306, 1964
Zülch KJ: Histological typing of tumors of the central nervous system. International histological classification of tumors, no. 21. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1979
Rorke LB: The cerebellar medulloblastoma and its relationship to primitive neuroectodermal tumors. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 42: 1–15, 1983
Rorke LB, Gilles FH, Davis RL, Becker LE: Revision of the World Health Organization classification of brain tumors for childhood brain tumors. Cancer 56: 1869–1886, 1985
Livingston S: The diagnosis and treatment of convulsive disorders in children. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, 1954
Hess R: Die epileptogenen Hirntumoren. Mod Probl Pharmacopsychiat 4: 200–231, 1970
Ross EM, Peckham CS: Seizure disorder in the national child development study. In: Rose FC (ed) Research Progress in Epilepsy. Pitman, London pp 46–50, 1983
Aicardi J: Epilepsy in children. Raven Press, New York, 1986
Backus RE, Millichap JG: The seizure as a manifestation of intracranial tumor in childhood. Pediatrics 29: 978–984, 1962
Farwell JR, Dohrmann GJ, Flannery JT: Intracranial neoplasms in infants. Arch Neurol 35: 533–537, 1978
Sano K: Intracranial tumors under one year of age. (Abstract) Childs Brain 5: 552, 1979
Gjerris F: Clinical aspects and long-term prognosis of Intracranial tumors in infancy and childhood. Dev Med Child Neurol 18: 145–159, 1976
Low NL, Correli JW, Hammill JF: Tumors of the cerebral hemispheres in children. Arch Neurol 13: 547–554, 1965
Foster ES, Carrillo JM, Patnaik AK: Clinical signs of tumors affecting the rostral cerebrum in 43 dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2: 71–74, 1988
Hauser WA: Epidemiology of epilepsy. In: Schoenberg BS (ed) Neurological Epidemiology: Principles and Clinical Applications. Raven Press, New York pp 313–339, 1978
Sackett DL: Bias in analytic research. J Chron Dis 32: 51–63, 1979
Stern J, DiFiacinto GV, Housepian EM: Neurofibromatosis and optic morphological correlations. Neurosurgery 4: 524–528, 1979
Ilgren EB, Kinnier-Wilson LM, Stiller CA: Gliomas in neurofibromatosis: A series of 89 cases with evidence of enhanced malignancy in associated cerebellar astrocytomas. Pathology Annual 20: 331–358, 1985
Hauser WA, Kurland LT: The epidemiology of epilepsy in Rochester, Minnesota, 1935 through 1967. Epilepsia 16: 1–66, 1975
Holmes GL: Diagnosis and Management of Seizures in Children. WB Saunders, Philadelphia 1987
Blom S, Heijbel J, Bergfors PG: Incidence of epilepsy in children: A follow-up study three years after the first seizure. Epilepsia 19: 343–350, 1978
Penfield W, Erickson TC, Tarlov I: Relation of intracranial tumor and symptomatic epilepsy. Arch Neurol Psychiat (Chic) 44: 300–315, 1940
Kirsten L: Epilepsie bei intrakraniellen expansiven Prozessen. Acta Med Scand 110: 56–68, 1942
Lund M: Frequency of epilepsy in cases of intracranial tumour as related to the localization and the nature of the growth. Acta Neurol Scand Suppl 81: 87–96, 1952
Gloor P, Hall G, Coccani F: Differential sensitivity of various brain structures to the epileptogenic action of penicillin. Exp Neurol 16: 333–348, 1966
Maiti A, Snider RS: Cerebellar control of basal forebrain seizures: amygdala and hippocampus. Epilepsia 16: 521–533, 1975
Farran RD, McIntyre HB, Itabashi HH: Pathogenesis of spikewave status: a clinical-pathological study implicating cerebellar disturbance. Bull Los Angeles Neurol Soc 40: 153–159, 1975
Davis R, Gray E, Engle H, Dusnak A: Reduction of intractable seizures using cerebellar stimulation. Appl Neurophysiol 46: 57–61, 1983
Blume WT, Girvin JP, Kaufmann JCE: Childhood brain tumors presenting as chronic uncontrolled focal seizure disorders. Ann Neurology 12: 538–541, 1982
Elsberg CA, Pike FH: Studies on epilepsy: Influence of general increase or diminution of intracranial pressure up on susceptibility of animals to convulsive seizures. Am J Physiol 76: 593–597, 1926
Hoefer PFA, Schlesinger EB, Pennes HH: Seizures in patients with brain tumors. Res Publ Ass Nerv Ment Dis 26: 50–58, 1947
Gibbs FA: Frequency with which tumors in various parts of the brain produce certain symptoms. Arch Neurol Psychiat 28: 969–989, 1932
Koos WT, Miller ME: Intracranial tumors of infants and children. CV Mosby, St Louis 1971
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gilles, F.H., Sobel, E., Leviton, A. et al. Epidemiology of seizures in children with brain tumors. J Neuro-Oncol 12, 53–68 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172457
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00172457