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Updated: Oct 18, 2026
Intracranial Orthotopic Allografting of Medulloblastoma Cells in Immunocompromised Mice
Published on: October 3, 2010
Long-term outcomes of pediatric medulloblastoma before routine molecular classification: a 20-year single-center
Mehtap Ertekin1,2, Aytul Temuroglu3, Gokalp Rustem Aksoy3
1Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Izmir City Hospital, Şevket Ince Mahallesi, 2148/11. Sokak, No: 1/11, Bayraklı, Turkey. mehtapertekin35@gmail.com.
Purpose:
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood. Although molecular classification has refined prognostication, long-term real-world outcomes from periods or settings without routine molecular subtyping remain clinically relevant. We report a 20-year single-center experience from a tertiary pediatric oncology center in Turkey.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed 97 children diagnosed with Medulloblastoma at Uludag University between 2000 and 2020. Survival status was updated through 2025. Overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prognostic factors were assessed using log-rank tests and multivariate Cox regression for OS and EFS. Late effects among survivors were recorded.
Results:
The cohort included 56 males and 41 females, with a median age of 7.0 years. Five-year OS and EFS were 73.9% and 69.9%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 70.2 months. Five-year OS improved from 57.1% in 2000-2010 to 83.6% in 2011-2020. Later treatment era independently predicted improved OS (HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14-0.65; p = 0.002) and EFS (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20-0.75; p = 0.005). Anaplastic/large-cell histology independently predicted poorer OS and EFS. Baseline characteristics were largely similar between eras, although median age differed. Late effects were documented in 56 of 68 survivors (82%), most commonly motor or cerebellar dysfunction, growth failure, neurocognitive impairment, and hypothyroidism.
Conclusion:
Survival improved across treatment eras and was not readily explained by a more favorable measured case mix. These findings provide pre-molecular era real-world benchmarks and highlight the importance of treatment standardization and structured survivorship care.
