Patterns of Failure Using a Conformal Radiation Therapy Tumor Bed Boost for Medulloblastoma
- 15 August 2003
- journal article
- pediatric oncology
- Published by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Vol. 21 (16), 3079-3083
- https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2003.11.140
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the patterns of failure for patients with medulloblastoma receiving a conformal tumor bed boost rather than a boost to the entire posterior fossa. Patients and Methods: From 1994 to 2002, 32 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed medulloblastoma treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) received a conformal boost to the tumor bed in conjunction with craniospinal radiation therapy. Twenty-eight patients also received chemotherapy. The median age was 9 years (range, 3 to 34 years), and the male to female ratio was 3:1. Twenty-seven patients had standard-risk disease, and five patients had high-risk disease. Craniospinal doses ranged from 23.4 to 39.6 Gy, and total tumor bed doses ranged from 54 to 59.4 Gy. Results: With a median follow-up of 56 months, six patients have relapsed; five relapsed outside of the posterior fossa, and one failed within the posterior fossa, outside of the high-dose boost volume. Five-year actuarial disease-free and overall survival rates were 84% and 85%, respectively. Freedom from posterior fossa failure was 100% and 86% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Freedom from distant failure was 84% at 5 years, with a trend for improvement when full-dose craniospinal radiation (36 to 39.6 Gy) was used compared with a reduced dose (23.4 Gy) of radiation (100% v 63%, respectively; P = .06). No other predictive variables were identified. Conclusion: Conformal treatment to the tumor bed allows for significant sparing of critical structures. The posterior fossa failure rate in this series is similar to that reported when the entire posterior fossa is treated. This approach should be investigated further in a phase III trial.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Concurrent chemotherapy and low-dose craniospinal irradiation followed by conformal posterior fossa tumor bed boost for average risk medulloblastoma: efficacy and patterns of failureInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2002
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for pediatric medulloblastoma: early report on the reduction of ototoxicityInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2002
- Intensity-Modulated RadiotherapyThe Cancer Journal, 2002
- Patterns of Intellectual Development Among Survivors of Pediatric Medulloblastoma: A Longitudinal AnalysisJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2001
- Low-Stage Medulloblastoma: Final Analysis of Trial Comparing Standard-Dose With Reduced-Dose Neuraxis IrradiationJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2000
- Posterior fossa boost in medulloblastoma: an analysis of dose to surrounding structures using 3-dimensional (conformal) radiotherapyInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2000
- Preliminary results of conformal radiation therapy for medulloblastomaNeuro-Oncology, 1999
- Patterns of failure following treatment for medulloblastoma: is it necessary to treat the entire posterior fossa?International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1998
- Pediatric medulloblastoma: Radiation treatment technique and patterns of failureInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1997
- Medulloblastoma: Long-term results for patients treated with definitive radiation therapy during the computed tomography eraInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1996