title: Radiation of infratentorial and supratentorial brain-stem tumors.
abstract: A retrospective survey of 41 patients with unbiopsied thalamic, pontine, and medullary tumors treated with radiation therapy demonstrated 30% to 40% 3-year survival, with seven long-term survivors. Eleven of the 12 patients surviving over 3 years have essentially normal neurological function. Of seven patients in whom histological diagnoses were eventually obtained, four proved to have glioblastomas and three low-grade astrocytomas. Autopsy revealed that all glioblastomatous tumors extended beyond the treatment field; this suggested that larger volumes, perhaps the whole brain, should be irradiated. High doses (at least 5000 rads) should be used since the 3-year survival among those receiving such doses was 45%.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001933:Brain Stem; D014695:Cerebral Ventriculography; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D011011:Pneumoencephalography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy