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Radiotherapy in the treatment of low-grade astrocytomas. I. A survival analysis
C G West1, R Gattamaneni, V Blair
1Department of Neurological Surgery, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, UK.
Insights
Radiation therapy significantly improves survival rates for children with deep-seated low-grade astrocytomas. Superficial tumors that can be fully resected do not benefit from this treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Low-grade astrocytomas (WHO grade 1 or 2) are common pediatric brain tumors.
- Treatment decisions are influenced by tumor location and resectability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of treatment modality on survival for pediatric low-grade astrocytomas.
- To determine the efficacy of radiation therapy based on tumor characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 143 children diagnosed with low-grade astrocytomas between 1954 and 1986.
- Comparison of survival rates across different treatment modalities, including surgery and radiation therapy.
Main Results:
- Radiation therapy significantly improved survival rates for patients with deep-seated tumors not amenable to complete surgical resection.
- No clear survival benefit was observed for radiation therapy in cases of superficial tumors with complete or near-complete resection.
Conclusions:
- Radiation therapy is a crucial treatment modality for improving survival in pediatric low-grade astrocytomas, particularly for deep-seated tumors.
- Surgical resection remains a primary treatment for accessible superficial tumors.
Abstract:
Between 1954 and 1986 inclusive, 160 children in the North West Region of England were registered with histologically proven lowgrade astrocytomas (grade 1 or 2). Ten died before receiving any treatment, and a further seven died within 28 days of surgery, leaving 143 children whose survival in relation to treatment modality is the subject of this paper. Low-grade astrocytomas are responsive to radiation therapy. This treatment has no clear benefit to offer children with superficial tumours that can be resected completely or nearly so, but significantly improves survival rates when tumours are deep-seated and not amenable to excision.