title: The clinical results of pediatric brain tumors treated with Linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) for brain tumor is increasingly acceptable worldwide. In Thailand, the first Linac-based stereotactic radiation machine was implemented at the Radiosurgery Center, Ramathibodi Hospital since 1997. This is the first study in Thailand to report the results of pediatric brain tumor patients treated with SRS and FSRT MATERIAL AND METHOD: The clinical outcome of 39 pediatric patients treated with SRS/FSRT between 1998 and 2010 was retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up time was 26 months (range, 1 to 154 months). The local progression free survival (LPFS) at one and five years after SRS/FSRT for all patients was 87.5% and 54.2%, respectively. The 5-year LPFS by tumor histology was as follow, pituitary adenoma 100%, meningioma 100%, ependymoma, and low-grade astrocytoma 75%, and craniopharyngioma 68.6%. High-grade tumor had the worst LPFS and the median LPFS of this group was only 12 months. On univariate analysis, low-grade tumor (pituitary adenoma and menigioma) and small tumor volume (< 10 ml) were the factors that correlated significantly with good local control. After multivariate analysis, small tumor volume was the only factor associated with good LPFS (HR = 2.35, p = 0.042). No other radiation complication except panhypopituitarism was reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SRS/FSRT in pediatric brain tumor is technically feasible, with minimal acute side effects. SRS/FSRT plays an important role for the small low-grade tumor
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand. putipun.pua@mahidol.ac.th
authors.forename: Putipun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puataweepong
authors.forename: Mantana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhanachai
authors.forename: Somjai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dangprasert
authors.forename: Ladawan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Narkwong
authors.forename: Chomporn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sitathanee
authors.forename: Taweesuk
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Junwityanujit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome