Treatment and outcomes of primary intracranial teratoma.
OBJECTIVE
Until recently, postoperative adjuvant treatment for intracranial teratomas has remained controversial because of the rarity of the tumors and the heterogeneity of histologic types. To define optimal therapy modalities, we retrospectively analyzed the treatment of patients with intracranial teratomas.


METHODS
Between 1979 and 2007, 31 patients with intracranial teratomas were treated at our institution. The median age of the 31 patients was 14.8 years. The median follow-up time was 72.7 months (range 11 approximately 291 months). Perioperative radiochemotherapy was done in 19 patients. Proper chemotherapy regimens were followed, such as PE (cisplatin and VP-16), PVB (cisplatin, VP-16, and bleomycin), ICE (carboplatin, VP-16, and ifosfamide), and NGGCT (etoposide, carboplatin, bleomycin, and cyclophosphamide with mesna).


RESULTS
Eight patients experienced recurrence, and a second operation was carried out in six patients. Fifteen patients survived for more than 5 years without recurrence, irrespective of having received adjuvant therapies. The 5-year survival rate of the 31 patients was 74%.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of intracranial teratomas is very difficult because of the heterogeneity of the tumor cells from totipotent origins. Accurate histological diagnosis of teratoma subtypes is the most important factor for adequate treatment, and proper therapeutic protocols are needed to cure teratomas.
Lee
Yun-Ho
YH
Department of Neurosurgery, Severance Children's Hospital, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Park
Eun Kyung
EK
Park
Young Seok
YS
Shim
Kyu-Won
KW
Choi
Joong-Uhn
JU
Kim
Dong-Seok
DS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D013724:Teratoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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