Long-term follow-up after high-activity 125I brachytherapy for pediatric brain tumors.
A retrospective review including long-term follow-up (4.6-12.0 years) was performed of all 28 pediatric patients who underwent high-activity 125I brachytherapy at the University of California, San Francisco, for primary or recurrent brain tumors from 1980 until 1991. There were 4 glioblastomas, 11 high-grade nonglioblastoma multiforme (NGM) malignant gliomas, 10 contrast-enhancing low-grade NGM, 2 choroid plexus carcinomas, and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma. The 13 survivors included 7 of 8 patients with primary high-grade NGM, 2 of 3 patients with primary low-grade NGM, and 3 of 7 patients with recurrent low-grade NGM. Necrosis (with or without tumor) was identified in 17 of 22 reoperated patients. The mean Karnofsky performance status was 88 +/- 9 at the time of brachytherapy, 87 +/- 7 at 3 years, and 87 +/- 9 in 11 patients alive at 6-12 years. Brachytherapy is a useful modality for treating selected pediatric brain tumors, and although focal necrosis is a common sequela, it does not tend to have a major impact on the Karnofsky performance status, if the implant site is amenable to reoperation.
Sneed
P K
PK
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0226, USA.
Russo
C
C
Scharfen
C O
CO
Prados
M D
MD
Malec
M K
MK
Larson
D A
DA
Lamborn
K R
KR
Lamb
S A
SA
Voss
B
B
Weaver
K A
KA
Phillips
T L
TL
Gutin
P H
PH
Wara
W M
WM
Edwards
M S
MS
D000293:Adolescent; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005910:Glioma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation