title: Retrospective evaluation of the outcomes of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma treated with radiochemotherapy and valproic acid in a single center.
abstract: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a pediatric oncologic disease with dismal prognosis and no effective treatment. Since 2007, our patients have been using valproic acid as prophylactic anticonvulsant. We have undertaken a retrospective study in order to evaluate the influence of valproate in the outcomes of children with this disease in our center. Patients were treated with weekly carboplatin and vincristine and received conformal radiotherapy, either concurrent or sequential. Event-free survival and overall survival of patients not treated with valproic acid were 6.5 and 7.8 months. Accelerated failure time model (a parametric multivariate regression test for time-to-failure data) showed a statistically significant superiority of the median event-free survival of treated patients (6.5 vs. 9.5 months in treated patients; HR 0.54-95 % CI 0.33-0.87; p < 0.05) and also of overall survival (7.8 vs. 13.4 months in treated patients; HR 0.60-95 % CI 0.37-0.98; p = 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Hemato-oncology Service, Pediatric Cancer Center, Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin, R Alberto Montezuma, 350 Vila Uniao, Fortaleza, CE, 60410-770, Brazil, helder.felix@hias.ce.gov.br.
authors.forename: Francisco Helder Cavalcante
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Orlandira Leite
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: de Araujo
authors.forename: Karine Martins
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: da Trindade
authors.forename: Nadia Mendonça
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Trompieri
authors.forename: Juvenia Bezerra
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fontenele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014750:Vincristine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D016190:Carboplatin