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Published on: January 14, 2014
Pattern of recurrence in paediatric malignant glioma: an institutional experience
Sucheta J Vaidya1, Darren Hargrave, Frank Saran
1Paediatric Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5PT, UK. Sucheta.Vaidya@icr.ac.uk
Insights
Paediatric malignant gliomas show a distinct recurrence pattern, with a significant incidence of distant relapses observed in this study. Further research is needed to identify high-risk patients for leptomeningeal dissemination.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Neuro-oncology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Malignant gliomas are aggressive brain tumors in children.
- Understanding recurrence patterns is crucial for treatment and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pattern of recurrence in paediatric malignant gliomas.
- To compare recurrence sites in children with those reported in adult studies.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 30 paediatric patients with malignant glioma.
- Analysis of diagnostic imaging and treatment charts over a 10-year period.
- Comparison of initial scans with scans at first relapse to classify recurrence as local, marginal, or distant.
Main Results:
- 80% of patients (24/30) showed disease progression.
- Median time to progression was 8.5 months.
- 46% of relapses (11/24) occurred at distant sites, differing from adult patterns.
Conclusions:
- Paediatric malignant gliomas may have a different relapse pattern than adult gliomas, with a notable rate of distant recurrences.
- Further prospective studies are required to identify clinico-biological factors predicting leptomeningeal dissemination in high-risk children.
Background:
The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the pattern of recurrence in paediatric malignant gliomas.
Material And Methods:
We reviewed the notes, diagnostic imaging and treatment charts of 30 consecutive paediatric patients (age less than 18 years at diagnosis, range 0.5-17 years) presenting with a malignant glioma presenting to the paediatric oncology unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital over a 10-year period. The imaging at the time of first relapse was compared with the initial diagnostic scans to define a relapse as local, marginal or distant.
Results:
Median follow-up was 13 months (range 1-99 months). Twenty-four of 30 patients (80%) showed evidence of progression with a median time to progression of 8.5 months (range 3-64 months). Thirteen out of 24 patients developed local or marginal recurrences while 11/24 patients recurred at distant sites as site of first relapse (46%).
Conclusion:
Our series suggests that the pattern of relapses in paediatric malignant gliomas could be different from that reported in adult studies as we observed a significant incidence of distant relapses. Larger prospective series need to be conducted to investigate the clinico-biological characteristics of the population at high risk for leptomeningeal dissemination.
