Experience with pineal region tumours in childhood

Sixty-one children with pineal region tumours were managed at the Hospital for Sick Children during the period 1950-1982. Histologic verification of these tumours was possible in forty-six children. Although germ cell tumours were the commonest form, germinomas only made up one third of the pineal region tumours. Since 1967, an aggressive approach has been adopted in the management of pineal region tumours at the Hospital for Sick Children with thirty-four patients having direct surgery on their pineal region mass out of a total of forty-one patients with such tumours. The operative mortality for pineal tumour surgery has steadily fallen so that the operative mortality between 1975 and 1982 was 4.3% and there have been no operative deaths since 1977 among the thirteen patients with pineal region tumours who have been operatively treated. Pineal tumours are operable lesions which should be removed if they are benign. Histologic confirmation should be obtained if they are malignant in order to provide for rational management of these lesions.