Pediatric brain tumors are a tremendous challenge for the treating physician. Their diverse biological behaviors, in the unique context of the developing nervous system, require fl exible and tailored treatment plans. In the last 20 years, there has been an exponential increase in our understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of human malignancy. We are just now seeing the promise of this knowledge translate into biologically-directed therapies being routinely tested in collaborative research networks. The effectiveness of these new agents, however, remain undefi ned.

The goal of this textbook is to provide a current, biologically-based perspective of the management of central nervous system tumors in children. Rather than present every tumor type in an encyclopedic manner, the common tumor types encountered in clinical practice are presented in the initial chapters. The epidemiology, pathological features, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment are discussed for each tumor type. We have separated high- and lowgrade glial tumors into separate chapters, mainly because the management and outcome for these two classes of tumors are very different. In the fi nal chapters, many of the diagnostic and treatment modalities common to all tumors are discussed with an emphasis on emerging and experimental techniques. For the second edition, new chapters have been added: Rare Tumors (Chap. 11) and Late Effects and Palliative Care (Chap. 17). A valuable resource is the WHO classifi cation of tumors of the central nervous system; the fourth edition of which was published in 2007 (Louis et al. 2007).