Medulloblastoma Expertise, Plus the Gentle Care Your Child Deserves
Appointments available within 48 hours.
Our pediatric specialists have expertise in managing medulloblastoma and a passion for helping children. That’s what makes Mayo Clinic’s Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic the best place to care for a child with medulloblastoma. Our pediatric cancer team is with your family at every stage, providing answers, certainty and hope.
Why choose Mayo Clinic for...
7 Tesla MRI
Pediatric Brain Tumor Care
Neurology & Neurosurgery
Prompt, attentive care for your child. Be seen in 48 hours.
When it comes to your child, getting the right answers quickly is important. We understand that, so we offer appointments within 48 hours of your phone call.
Your child’s specialty care starts at diagnosis.
Having an experienced medulloblastoma team matters. The precise and accurate diagnosis of your child’s subtype is essential to getting your child the right treatment. At Mayo Clinic’s Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic, our pathologists have expertise in diagnosing medulloblastoma, so you can feel confident your child is in expert hands.
A treatment plan that meets your child’s unique needs.
Mayo Clinic excels at quickly pulling together the right team for your child. Your family meets with your child’s team of medulloblastoma experts through efficiently coordinated appointments, saving time and getting your child into treatment faster. Your child’s medulloblastoma care team consists of experts in surgery, noninvasive treatments and watchful waiting. We provide the widest range of treatment options available, including:
- Surgeries to remove the tumor tissue or to relieve fluid buildup in the brain with a drain or shunt. Our neurosurgeons can use computer-assisted brain surgery, brain-mapping techniques, intraoperative MRI, and awake brain surgery to protect critical areas.
- Radiation therapy approaches including proton beam therapy, which precisely targets the tumor while minimizing exposure to nearby healthy tissue.
- Chemotherapy
- Clinical trial options
- Advanced imaging, such as 7-Tesla MRI to produce more detailed images of the body's interior. Detailed brain scans help Mayo Clinic care teams diagnose and treat children with brain tumors. This advanced imaging technology is key to ensuring each patient receives an accurate diagnosis to guide treatment.
Seeing the unseeable with new imaging technology
This image displays the radiology scanned imaging from a 3 Tesla MRI. The 3 Tesla MRI, while using a less powerful magnetic field compared to the 7 Tesla MRI, still provides clear and detailed images of the body's interior. It is commonly used in clinical settings to diagnose and monitor various medical conditions, offering valuable insights for patient care and treatment planning. However, the clarity of the images produced by the 3 Tesla MRI is not as high as that of the 7 Tesla MRI, which can impact the level of detail visible in the scans.
This image showcases the radiology scanned imaging from a 7 Tesla MRI. The 7 Tesla MRI uses a stronger magnetic field to produce highly detailed images of the body's interior. The detailed brain scans generated by this advanced imaging system assist Mayo Clinic care teams in diagnosing and treating patients with brain tumors. This cutting-edge technology is crucial for ensuring patients receive accurate diagnoses, which guide effective treatment plans.
*There is a minimum weight limit for pediatric patients using the 7T MRI machine. For safety and optimal imaging quality, the minimum weight limit is 30 kilograms (approximately 66 pounds).
Child Life Specialists: Supporting Your Child Every Step of the Way
At Mayo Clinic, we understand that a diagnosis of a pediatric brain tumor can be overwhelming for both children and their families. Our team of Certified Child Life Specialists is dedicated to providing age-appropriate support to help ease the stress and anxiety associated with medical experiences.
What Do Child Life Specialists Do?
- Preparation and Education: Child life specialists use age-appropriate language, visual aids, and medical play to prepare children for tests, surgeries, and other medical procedures. This helps reduce fear and anxiety by helping children understand what to expect.
- Coping Strategies: They teach coping tools and techniques, such as distraction, comfort positions, and breathing exercises, to support children during medical procedures.
- Emotional Support: Child life specialists provide individualized support to help children cope with fear, anxiety, separation, and adjustment to the hospital experience. They also create a child-friendly hospital environment to make the experience as positive as possible.
Our child life specialists work alongside the healthcare team to ensure that your child receives comprehensive care that addresses both their medical and emotional needs. They are an integral part of our commitment to providing compassionate, patient-centered care.
Leading the Way in Fertility Preservation
Mayo Clinic is at the forefront of offering fertility preservation services to children who are treated for brain cancer. We recognize the importance of preserving fertility for young patients whose treatments may impact their future ability to have children.
What is Fertility Preservation?
Fertility preservation involves saving or protecting eggs, sperm, or reproductive tissue so that a person can use them to have biological children in the future. This is particularly important for pediatric patients undergoing treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, which can affect fertility.
Our Approach to Fertility Preservation
- Comprehensive Services: Mayo Clinic offers a range of fertility preservation options, including embryo, oocyte (egg), and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. These services are available to patients from ages 0 to 17 years.
- Multidisciplinary Team: Our Pediatric Fertility Preservation Program brings together specialists from various fields, including pediatric neuro-oncologists and reproductive endocrinologists, to discuss and provide the best options for each patient and their family.
- Personalized Care: We work closely with patients and their families to create individualized fertility preservation plans that align with their treatment and future family planning goals.
World-class medulloblastoma treatment, and a soft spot for kids.
Mayo Clinic Children's in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.
Mayo Clinic is top ranked in more specialties than any other hospital and has been recognized as an Honor Roll member according to the U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Hospitals" rankings.
Appointments available within 48 hours.
Contact us to request an appointment.
Phoenix, AZ
5777 E. Mayo Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85054
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time
Jacksonville, FL
4500 San Pablo Road
Jacksonville, FL 32224
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time
Rochester, MN
200 First St. SW,
Rochester, MN 55905
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy below.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. “Mayo,” “Mayo Clinic,” “MayoClinic.org,” “Mayo Clinic Healthy Living,” and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
© 1998-2025 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved.