Statistics of conducting clinical trials for children with brain tumors

Even though intracranial tumors are the second most common neoplasm in childhood, controlled trials for children with brain tumors are unusually difficult to conduct. The major hindrance to these studies appears to be a lack of numbers in each of the histologic subtypes and a lack of an effective collaborative effort among neurosurgeons, neurologists, radiotherapists, and pediatric oncologists, all of whom have some degree of responsibility for the primary care of these children. Improved communication between the Children's Cancer Study Group and the Pediatric Oncology Group, as well as the disciplines mentioned above, could result in significant advances in the understanding and treatment of children with brain tumors.