Medulloblastoma: A common pediatric tumor: Prognostic factors and predictors of outcome

Medulloblastoma is a common malignancy in the pediatric population, accounting for 25% of all childhood brain tumors and relatively uncommon in adults. This review was to investigate treatment outcome and prognostic factors after treatment of medulloblastoma.

A total of 53 patients with histological confirmed medulloblastoma cases treated at our institute between 2006 and 2012 were included in the study. Demographic variables, clinical variables, radiological findings and treatment details with respect to age, sex, signs and symptoms, location of tumor, extent of surgical resection, histopathology type, radiotherapy dose, follow-up period and outcomes were recorded. Survival was analyzed by using these parameters.

Thirty-one (58.5%) patients were pediatric (<14 years), and 22 (41.5%) patients were adults (≥14 years). Duration of symptoms were <3 months in 19 (36%) and more than 3 months in 34 (64%) patients. Tumor resection was performed in all patients with gross total resection in 8 (15%) patients, near total resection in 34 (64%) patients and subtotal resection in 11 (21%) patients. All patients underwent postoperative craniospinal irradiation (CSI) delivering a median craniospinal dose of 36 Gy with additional boosts to the posterior fossa up to 54 Gy. Median overall survival was 50 months for the total group whereas 36 months for pediatric age group and 70 months for adult group. Desmoplastic histology showed an improved outcome compared with other histologies with a median survival of 71 months compared with that of classical medulloblastoma histology being 36 months and other histologies shown a median survival of 34 only.

Treatment of medulloblastoma with surgery and CSI yields long survival rates in both children and adults. Adult age group and desmoplastic histology were associated with a favorable outcome.