Medulloblastomas

"Analysis of 29 cases evaluated at SMG, Rochester, N.Y." This study analyzed 29 patients with the diagnosis of medulloblastoma evaluated at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York. Twenty-three patients received combined (surgery and radiotherapy) treatment. Six had surgery alone. Chemotherapy was never employed as a primary treatment, however, two cases were treated with drugs at the time of relapse. The patients having craniospinal irradiation had a better survival rate when compared with the group receiving cranial irradiation or surgery alone. The five year survival rate for the first group was 50% versus 20% for the second group and 0% for the third group. The main cause of failure was recurrence in the posterior fossa. Fifteen patients failed in this area representing 88% of the total failures. Seeding to the spinal cord was determined in 5 patients, four of whom did not have spinal cord irradiation. One patient failed outside the field of treatment in the conus medullaris six months after radiation.