Low-dose craniospinal irradiation and ifosfamide, cisplatin and etoposide for non-metastatic embryonal tumors in the central nervous system.
OBJECTIVE
The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of low-dose craniospinal irradiation (CSI) combined with chemotherapy on non-metastatic embryonal tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), including medulloblastoma and supra-tentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (ST-PNET).


METHODS
All patients were treated according to the following protocol. After surgery, the patients < or =5 years old received 18 Gy and the patients >5 years old received 24 Gy CSI. The dose to the primary tumor bed was 39.6-54 Gy. Chemotherapy consisted of ifosfamide, cisplatin and etoposide (ICE chemotherapy).


RESULTS
Sixteen patients aged 0.5-20.4 (median 6.1) years were enrolled and followed for 11-165 (median 112) months. Both 5-year actuarial overall survival (OAS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 81% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62-100%) for the 16 patients. Both 5-year OAS and PFS were 82% (CI: 59-100%) for the patients with medulloblastoma and 80% (CI: 45-100%) for the patients with ST-PNET. Both 5-year OAS and PFS were 75% for the eight patients < or =5 years old and 88% for the eight patients >5 years old. Both 5-year OAS and PFS were 100% for six average-risk patients (3 years or older, total resection and posterior fossa) and 70% for 10 poor-risk patients (others). The median total intellectual quotient at the last follow-up was 85 (ranging from 48 to 103) in 12 patients who were followed for 3-145 (median 49) months. Eight patients received hormone replacement therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Low-dose CSI and ICE chemotherapy may have a role as a treatment option for a subset of patients with non-metastatic embryonal tumors in the CNS.
Yasuda
Koichi
K
Hokkaido University School of Medicine, North-15 West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan. kyasuda@radi.med.hokudai.ac.jp
Taguchi
Hiroshi
H
Sawamura
Yutaka
Y
Ikeda
Jun
J
Aoyama
Hidefumi
H
Fujieda
Kenji
K
Ishii
Nobuaki
N
Kashiwamura
Masaaki
M
Iwasaki
Yoshinobu
Y
Shirato
Hiroki
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016371:Cranial Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D015173:Supratentorial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis
D005047:Etoposide; D002945:Cisplatin; D007069:Ifosfamide