What does the '-blastoma' part of 'medulloblastoma' mean?

It indicates a tumour (-oma) arising from immature, embryonic, or precursor cells (blast).

Is medulloblastoma only a childhood cancer?

While overwhelmingly a paediatric tumour (peak incidence 3-8 years), it can rarely occur in adults.

What is the main treatment for medulloblastoma?

A multimodal approach: maximal safe surgical resection, followed by craniospinal radiation (in most cases) and chemotherapy.

What is the difference between medulloblastoma and glioblastoma?

They are distinct cancers. Medulloblastoma is an embryonal tumour typically in the cerebellum of children. Glioblastoma is an astrocytic tumour, typically in the cerebral hemispheres of adults, and is extremely aggressive.

Is “medulloblastoma” formal?

Medulloblastoma is usually technical / medical in register.

How do you pronounce “medulloblastoma”?

Medulloblastoma: in British English it is pronounced /mɪˌdʌləʊblæˈstəʊmə/, and in American English it is pronounced /məˌdʌloʊblæˈstoʊmə/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

medulloblastoma: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

UK/mɪˌdʌləʊblæˈstəʊmə/US/məˌdʌloʊblæˈstoʊmə/

Technical / Medical

My Flashcards

Quick answer

What does “medulloblastoma” mean?

A malignant brain tumour, usually occurring in the cerebellum of children.

Audio

Pronunciation

Definition

Meaning and Definition

A malignant brain tumour, usually occurring in the cerebellum of children.

A highly aggressive, invasive embryonal tumour of the central nervous system, most commonly found in the posterior fossa, particularly the cerebellum. It is the most common malignant brain tumour in children.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

No spelling differences. Usage is identical and confined to medical contexts.

Connotations

Identical high-risk, paediatric cancer connotations.

Frequency

Extremely low frequency in general language, identical moderate frequency within paediatric oncology/neurology.

Grammar

How to Use “medulloblastoma” in a Sentence

Patient WITH medulloblastomaDiagnosis OF medulloblastomaTreatment FOR medulloblastomaResection/Excision OF medulloblastoma

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

paediatric medulloblastomametastatic medulloblastomarecurrent medulloblastomaposterior fossa medulloblastomamedulloblastoma tumourmedulloblastoma cellstreat medulloblastoma

medium

high-risk medulloblastomadiagnosis of medulloblastomasurvival for medulloblastomachildhood medulloblastomamedulloblastoma resection

weak

aggressive medulloblastomarare medulloblastomamedulloblastoma researchmedulloblastoma studystandard medulloblastoma

Examples

Examples of “medulloblastoma” in a Sentence

adjective

British English

The medulloblastoma pathology report was conclusive.
A medulloblastoma tumour model was established.

American English

The medulloblastoma pathology report was conclusive.
A medulloblastoma tumor model was established.

Usage

Meaning in Context

Business

Virtually never used.

Academic

Used in medical, biological, and neuroscience research papers and lectures.

Everyday

Extremely rare; only used when directly discussing this specific diagnosis.

Technical

Standard term in oncology, paediatrics, neurosurgery, radiology, and pathology reports.

Vocabulary

Synonyms of “medulloblastoma”

Strong

medulloblastoma (the term is highly specific; other terms are outdated or less precise)

Neutral

posterior fossa PNET (Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumour)

Weak

malignant paediatric brain tumourcerebellar tumour (non-specific)

Vocabulary

Antonyms of “medulloblastoma”

healthy cerebellum tissuebenign tumour (e.g., pilocytic astrocytoma)

Watch out

Common Mistakes When Using “medulloblastoma”

Misspelling: 'meduloblastoma' (missing an 'l'), 'medullablastoma'.
Mispronunciation: stressing 'medu-LO-blastoma' instead of 'medullo-blas-TO-ma'.
Using as a general term for any brain tumour.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: It indicates a tumour (-oma) arising from immature, embryonic, or precursor cells (blast).
: While overwhelmingly a paediatric tumour (peak incidence 3-8 years), it can rarely occur in adults.
: A multimodal approach: maximal safe surgical resection, followed by craniospinal radiation (in most cases) and chemotherapy.
: They are distinct cancers. Medulloblastoma is an embryonal tumour typically in the cerebellum of children. Glioblastoma is an astrocytic tumour, typically in the cerebral hemispheres of adults, and is extremely aggressive.
: A malignant brain tumour, usually occurring in the cerebellum of children.
: Medulloblastoma is usually technical / medical in register.
: Medulloblastoma: in British English it is pronounced /mɪˌdʌləʊblæˈstəʊmə/, and in American English it is pronounced /məˌdʌloʊblæˈstoʊmə/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

MEDULLO (think 'medulla', core/brainstem) + BLAST (like a blast cell, immature) + OMA (tumour) = a tumour of immature cells in the core brain/cerebellum.

Conceptual Metaphor

Often framed as an 'invader' or 'weed' in the garden of the developing brain.

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

Surgery to remove as much of the as possible is typically the first line of treatment.

Multiple Choice

Medulloblastoma is most commonly found in which part of the body?