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Pineal region tumors in children

Girish Dhall1, Soumen Khatua, Jonathan L Finlay

  • 1Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA. gdhall@chla.usc.edu

Current Opinion in Neurology
|November 3, 2010
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Pediatric pineal tumors like pineoblastoma and germ cell tumors (GCTs) show varied outcomes. Advances in chemotherapy and irradiation improve survival for GCTs, though pineoblastoma in young children remains challenging.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric oncology
  • Neuro-oncology
  • Tumor biology

Background:

  • Pineal tumors are rare in children.
  • Pineoblastoma and germ cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common types.
  • Management strategies and treatment outcomes are areas of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in the treatment of pediatric pineal tumors.
  • To discuss controversies in the management of pineoblastoma and GCTs.
  • To highlight differences in outcomes based on age and tumor type.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on pediatric pineal tumors.
  • Analysis of treatment strategies for pineoblastoma and GCTs.
  • Discussion of diagnostic controversies and therapeutic approaches.

Main Results:

  • Pineoblastoma exhibits heterogeneous clinical behavior, with age-dependent outcomes.
  • Controversies in GCT management include diagnostic criteria, role of surgery, and optimal treatment for specific subtypes.
  • Treatment strategies for GCTs involving chemotherapy and reduced-dose irradiation show promise.

Conclusions:

  • Pineoblastoma in infants and young children presents a therapeutic challenge.
  • Significant progress has been made in treating pineal GCTs, improving survival rates.
  • Combined chemotherapy and irradiation reduce long-term morbidity in pediatric GCT patients.

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