title: Chemotherapy for medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the posterior fossa.
abstract: Chemotherapy has only marginal efficacy in adult malignant brain tumors. In contrast, drug therapy is considerably more effective in medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumors (MB/PNET) of the posterior fossa, the most common childhood primary central nervous system tumor. At the time of disease recurrence, a variety of different single agents and drug combinations result in tumor shrinkage and increased survival. The addition of chemotherapy to standard radiotherapy improves the rate and length of disease-free survival for those children with MB/PNET who have the most extensive tumors at diagnosis. It remains to be determined which drug or drug combinations are the most effective in MB/PNET, and which patients are most likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may be useful to reduce or, in selected cases, obviate the need for radiotherapy and reduce treatment-related sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Packer
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents