Ependymoma prognosis

A prognosis is when your doctor gives you an indication of the likely outcome of your medical condition. We know that ependymoma prognosis can be difficult to read about, so our Support Team is here for you if you would like to speak to someone.

On this page:

• About ependymoma
• What is an ependymoma prognosis?
• Ependymoma survival rate
• Approaching ependymoma prognosis

About ependymoma

Ependymoma is a type of brain tumour that tends to affect children. The average age of diagnosis is five years old.

Ependymoma tumours are formed from ependymal cells in the brain. These cells produce cerebrospinal fluid.

Ependymoma is the third most common type of childhood brain tumour. This type of tumour often grows in an area near the back of the brain called the posterior fossa, which is responsible for things like movement, balance, blood pressure and breathing.

Read about ependymoma brain tumour types and treatments.

What is an ependymoma prognosis?

A prognosis is when your doctor gives you an indication of the likely outcome of your medical condition. When discussing ependymoma prognosis, your doctor or medical team will tell you what they think will happen following your treatment.

But, keep in mind that your doctor can’t be absolutely certain about what will happen to you following a diagnosis of an ependymoma.

They can give you an estimate, based on your tumour type and current situation. But they might not be able to predict other things, like how well you might respond to treatment.

This is why ependymoma prognosis is often an ongoing process. And, it might change at different stages in your journey.

Ependymoma survival rate

About 60% of children diagnosed with an ependymoma brain tumour survive for five years or more.

The figure listed above is given in a five year interval simply because doctors use these intervals for research and measuring purposes. This is not meant to represent how long a person will live past those intervals. For example, a patient who is a 5 year survivor might live as long as any other healthy person, depending on their circumstances.

It is important to remember that statistics and averages cannot tell you what will happen to you specifically.

Receiving information about an ependymoma prognosis

Different people approach their ependymoma prognosis in different ways.

• Some don’t want to know, because they’re afraid of what they might hear and how it may affect them
• Some just need some time to cope with their diagnosis before asking about their prognosis
• Others may want to know from the beginning, using their prognosis to plan ahead

It’s important to know that there’s no right or wrong way to approach this. It is entirely up to you whether or when you want to speak to your doctor about your prognosis.

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More information

Ependymoma in children factsheet – PDF

Find out more about ependymoma in children in the full factsheet.

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