The success and failure of multimodal therapy for cancer in children

Achievements, as well as limitation, in combination treatment of childhood malignancies are discussed. Tumor types are grouped according to response (definite, probable, unknown) to combined treatment. Improvements in survival rates have occurred following the addition of chemotherapy to surgery and radiation therapy in children with Wilmes' tumor, and Ewing's and soft tissue sarcoma, probably by suppression of microscopic metastases. So far, advances are not yet apparent following multimodal treatment of neuroblastoma, hepatoma, and ovarian tumors.