Learn About Craniopharyngioma
View Main Condition: Brain Tumor
A craniopharyngioma is a noncancerous (benign) tumor that develops at the base of the brain near the pituitary gland.
The exact cause of the tumor is unknown.
This tumor most commonly affects children from 5 to 10 years of age. Adults can sometimes be affected. Boys and girls are equally likely to develop this tumor.
Craniopharyngioma causes symptoms by:
- Increasing pressure on the brain, usually from hydrocephalus
- Disrupting hormone production by the hypothalamus or pituitary gland
- Pressure or damage to the optic nerve
Increased pressure on the brain can cause:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting (especially in the morning)
- Change in appetite and weight
- Confusion and drowsiness
Damage to the pituitary gland causes hormone imbalances that can lead to excessive thirst and urination, and slow growth.
When the optic nerve is damaged by the tumor, vision problems develop. These defects are often permanent. They may get worse after surgery to remove the tumor.
Behavioral and learning problems may be present.
The goal of the treatment is to relieve symptoms. Usually, surgery has been the main treatment for craniopharyngioma. However, radiation treatment instead of surgery or along with a smaller surgery may be the best choice for some people.
In tumors that cannot be removed completely with surgery alone, radiation therapy is used. If the tumor has a classic appearance on CT scan, a biopsy may not be needed if treatment with radiation alone is planned. In some people, a shunt may be placed to treat the hydrocephalus.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is performed at some medical centers.
This tumor is best treated at a center with experience in treating craniopharyngiomas.
Weill Cornell Medicine Brain & Spine Center
Theodore Schwartz is a Neurosurgery provider in New York, New York. Dr. Schwartz has been practicing medicine for over 32 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Craniopharyngioma. His top areas of expertise are Meningioma, Pituitary Tumor, Craniopharyngioma, Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery, and Turbinectomy. Dr. Schwartz is currently accepting new patients.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Pablo Recinos is a Neurosurgery provider in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Recinos has been practicing medicine for over 24 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Craniopharyngioma. His top areas of expertise are Meningioma, Pituitary Tumor, Cushing's disease, Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery, and Balloon Sinuplasty.
Advocate Medical Group Neurosurgery
Nina Paleologos is a Psychiatrist and a Neurologist in Downers Grove, Illinois. Dr. Paleologos is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Craniopharyngioma. Her top areas of expertise are Oligodendroglioma, Glioma, Glioblastoma, and Astrocytoma.
In general, the outlook is good. There is an 80% to 90% chance of a cure if the tumor can be completely removed with surgery or treated with high doses of radiation. If the tumor returns, it will most often come back within the first 2 years after surgery.
The outlook depends on several factors, including:
- Whether the tumor can be completely removed
- Which nervous system problems and hormonal imbalances the tumor and treatment cause
Most of the problems with hormones and vision do not improve with treatment. Sometimes, the treatment may even make them worse.
There may be long-term hormone, vision, and nervous system problems after craniopharyngioma is treated.
When the tumor is not completely removed, the condition may return.
Contact your provider for the following symptoms:
- Headache, confusion, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, or balance problems (signs of increased pressure on the brain)
- Failing to keep up in school
- Loss or gain of weight
- Increased thirst and urination
- Poor growth in a child
- Vision changes
Summary: There is a variety of tumors affecting the pituitary gland in childhood; some of these tumors (eg craniopharyngioma) are included among the most common central nervous system tumors in childhood. The gene(s) involved in the pathogenesis of these tumors are largely not known; their possible association with other developmental defects or inheritance pattern(s) has not been investigated. The present...
Summary: Hypothalamic obesity (HO) refers to the substantial weight gain that often complicates hypothalamic brain tumors. Children with this treatment-recalcitrant form of obesity have excess rates of metabolic sequelae compared to otherwise healthy children with similar obesity, and later experience excess mortality related to cardiometabolic disease. In this pilot trial, our objective is to gather key p...
Published Date: May 10, 2024
Published By: Luc Jasmin, MD, Ph.D., FRCS (C), FACS, Department of Neuroscience, Guam Regional Medical City, Guam; Department of Surgery, Johnson City Medical Center, TN; Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Lohkamp LN, Kasper EM, Pousa AE, Bartels UK. An update on multimodal management of craniopharyngioma in children. Front Oncol. 2023;13:1149428. PMID: 37213301 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37213301/.
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Suh JH, Chao ST, Murphy ES, Recinos PF. Pituitary tumors and craniopharyngiomas. In: Tepper JE, Foote RL, Michalski JM, eds. Gunderson & Tepper's Clinical Radiation Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 34.
Zaky W. Central nervous system tumors in childhood. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 546.