Getting the Diagnosis

Once Matt's parents began to notice the strange symptoms of balance/coordination loss and mood changes, they took him in to see a doctor where he received a scan of his brain. Typically, if after a MRI or CT scan there is a tumor noted in the lower back portion of the brain, a biopsy will be done to determine what type of tumor it may be. There are three different ways this biopsy can be done:

1) surgery: the patient will have an operation called a craniotomy in which all or most of the tumor will be removed and then analyzed to determine what type of tumor it is
2) sterotactic (needle) biopsy: a hollow needle is placed into the tumor to remove a sample of tissue from the tumor; this technique is usually used if the tumor is difficult to reach
3) lumbar puncture: a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid around the brain and spine) is removed with a needle and then analyzed

In Matt's case, he underwent surgery to have most of the tumor removed and then it was determined that the tumor was a medulloblastoma.

Once the sample of medulloblastoma is obtained, it will be diagnosed as either standard-risk medulloblastoma or high-risk medulloblastoma. The criteria for both are:

standard-risk: less than 1.5cm of tumor is left after surgery, cancer has not spread anywhere else, the patient is between the ages of 3 and 21
high-risk: more than 1.5cm of the tumor is left after surgery, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the patient is between the ages of 3 and 21

From this point, the tumor can be placed into one of several different subtype categories, which can help determine the type of treatment that will be best.

Receiving the diagnosis of a medulloblastoma can tip a person's world upside down. The impact does not only affect the patient, but also the patient's family. It is important that the family and the patient receive a tremendous amount of support, both from the medical team and from their friends and family. Luckily, Matt received this support and was able to begin his journey on The Road to Awesome. It is important to remember that the person is so much more than their diagnosis. Amidst all of the different tests, procedures, and treatments, it is easy to only see that person as their disease. Maintaining a sense of normalcy and continuing to partake in as many activities of daily life as possible can have a huge impact on the person's ability to cope with and manage the disease. Matt's family seemed to hold this idea very close to heart during the course of Matt's diagnosis and treatment. They strove to never stop having fun and continued to view Matt as "Matt" instead of "Matt with Medullblastoma".

References:

http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/cancer-information/cancer-types/medulloblastoma/diagnosis/index.html

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/medulloblastoma-childhood/stages