Chemotherapy with cisplatin and vincristine for optic pathway/hypothalamic astrocytoma in young children.
OBJECTIVE
Optic pathway/hypothalamic astrocytomas (OPHA) in young children often show accelerated growth and require rather intensive induction chemotherapy.


METHODS
Fifteen children (median age: 3 years) with a large OPHA were treated. All of them presented with progressive disease, and the tumor size was larger than 34 mm. Pilocytic astrocytoma was confirmed histologically in 10 patients. Eleven patients had visual disturbance, six had diencephalic syndrome and four had hydrocephalus.


RESULTS
The children received six to eight cycles of cisplatin (20 mg/m(2): days 1-5) and vincristine (1.4 mg/m(2): days 1, 8, 15), every 4 weeks. Objective response was obtained in 11 patients (73%); one complete response, eight partial responses and two minor responses. Although the remaining four cases were evaluated as stable disease, all tumors decreased in volume. All children tolerated the chemotherapy well under careful audiological monitoring.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the present series was small, this chemotherapy is a useful regimen for induction therapy in children with an aggressive deep-seated pilocytic astrocytoma.
Sawamura
Yutaka
Y
Department of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. ysawamu@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Kamoshima
Yuuta
Y
Kato
Tsutomu
T
Tajima
Toshihiro
T
Tsubaki
Junko
J
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007029:Hypothalamic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014795:Visual Pathways
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D014750:Vincristine; D002945:Cisplatin