Recurrence of medulloblastoma: violation of Collins' law after two decades.
BACKGROUND
Medulloblastoma is a common tumor of childhood arising in the posterior fossa. The concept of a child with an embryonal tumor surviving the age of diagnosis plus 9 months as the period of risk for recurrence (Collins' Law) has been applied to medulloblastomas. This raises the question of "when should follow-up stop for a patient with this type of tumor?"


METHODS
We present a case report of a patient with the longest documented exception to Collins' Law for medulloblastoma.


RESULTS
The longest documented exception to Collins' Law, a medulloblastoma recurring 20 years and 8 months after the period of risk for recurrence is presented. Both the site of recurrence and the histopathology were identical to the original tumor.


CONCLUSIONS
We present the longest documented exception to Collins' Law, to emphasize that even after decades the term "cure" should only be used cautiously.
Friedberg
M H
MH
Department of Neurosurgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
David
O
O
Adelman
L S
LS
Heilman
C B
CB
D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors