High-grade glioma in children and adolescents: a single-center experience

The aim of this study was to report the outcome in children with high-grade astrocytoma outside the brain stem and spinal cord that were treated at a single center.

The study included 26 patients with anaplastic astrocytoma and 37 patients with glioblastoma; all patients were aged ≤18 years. At initial diagnosis, 18 of the patients with glioblastoma received only temozolomide (TMZ), 14 received other chemotherapies, and 5 did not receive any chemotherapy. Among the patients with anaplastic astrocytoma, 9 received TMZ, 9 received other chemotherapy regimens, and 8 patients did not receive any chemotherapy. The median radiotherapy dose in all patients was 60 Gy.

Median age of the patients was 12.5 years. Median overall survival was 20 months and mean progression-free survival was 4.7-11.3 months (median: 8 months) in all patients. Patients with a Karnofsky performance score (KPS) ≥70 had median overall survival of 32 months, versus 7 months in those with a KPS < 70. Patients aged <15 years had median survival of 38 months, versus 16 months in those aged 15-18 years. Patients with anaplastic astrocytoma that received TMZ, other chemotherapy regimens, and no chemotherapy had median survival of 21 months, 132 months, and 11 months, respectively. Patients with glioblastoma that received TMZ, other chemotherapy regimens, and no chemotherapy had median survival of 32 months, 12 months, and 8 months, respectively.

In the present study, patients with anaplastic astrocytoma treated with chemotherapy protocols other than TMZ had the longest OS; however, in the glioblastoma group, OS was 32 months in those treated with standard TMZ and 12 months in those treated with other protocols (P = 0.493). Although TMZ is less toxic than PCV, it was not shown to be superior.