Midline pineal tumors and suprasellar germinomas: highly curable by irradiation.
Sixty-one patients with midline pineal tumors and 16 patients with suprasellar germinomas were treated with surgical decompression and relatively high-dose radiotherapy of the primary site. Results were excellent, and there were no long-term complications. Ten per cent of midline pineal tumors and 37% of suprasellar germinomas metastasized to the cerebral or spinal subarachnoid space within 6 months to 5 years. Irradiation of the entire neural axis is recommended for locally extensive tumors, simultaneous pineal and hypothalamic lesions, and all biopsy-proved germinomas. The five-year survival rate was 79% for midline pineal tumors and 77% for suprasellar germinomas.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010871:Pinealoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D013724:Teratoma / Q000532:radiotherapy