High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue for children with recurrent malignant brain tumors.
BACKGROUND
High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous stem cell rescue (ASCR) has been reported to be effective in treating children with recurrent central nervous system (CNS) malignancies.


METHODS
To evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of HDCT and ASCR, the medical records of 27 children with recurrent CNS malignancies who received such therapy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital between 1989 and 2004 were reviewed.


RESULTS
The median age at diagnosis was 4.5 years (range, 0.4-16.6 years) and that at ASCR was 6.7 years (range, 1.1-18.5 years). Diagnoses included medulloblastoma (13 patients), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (3 patients), pineoblastoma (2 patients), atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (2 patients), ependymoma (3 patients), anaplastic astrocytoma (2 patients), and glioblastoma multiforme (2 patients). The 5-year overall and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 28.2% and 18.5%, respectively. The 5-year PFS rate for patients aged<3 years at diagnosis (57.1%) was significantly better than older patients (5.0%) (P=.019). Among the 6 long-term survivors (5 with M0 disease and 1 with M3 disease at diagnosis), 5 received both radiotherapy and HDCT as part of their salvage regimen; 4 were aged<3 years at diagnosis and had received chemotherapy only as part of frontline therapy. Two patients died of transplant-related toxicities; 44% experienced grade 3 or 4 transplant-related toxicities (toxicities were graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria).


CONCLUSIONS
HDCT with ASCR is not an effective salvage strategy for older children with recurrent CNS malignancies. The significantly better outcome in the younger cohort was most likely related to the use of radiotherapy as part of the salvage strategy.
Shih
Chie-Schin
CS
Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Hale
Gregory A
GA
Gronewold
Lindsey
L
Tong
Xin
X
Laningham
Fred H
FH
Gilger
Elizabeth A
EA
Srivastava
Deo Kumar
DK
Kun
Larry E
LE
Gajjar
Amar
A
Fouladi
Maryam
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010871:Pinealoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018335:Rhabdoid Tumor / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D015996:Survival Rate; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome