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Childhood pineoblastoma: experiences from the prospective multicenter trials HIT-SKK87, HIT-SKK92 and HIT91

  • Clinical Study - patient studies
  • Published:
Journal of Neuro-Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To analyze the outcome of children with pineoblastoma (PB), treated within the prospective multicenter trials HIT-SKK87, HIT-SKK92 and HIT91 of German-speaking countries.

Patients

We report on 11 children suffering from PB. Five children younger than 3 years of age received chemotherapy after surgery until eligible for radiotherapy (HIT-SKK87 and HIT-SKK92). Five of six children older than 3 years were treated after surgery with immediate chemotherapy and craniospinal irradiation, and one child received maintenance chemotherapy after postoperative radiotherapy (HIT91).

Results

Five of the six older children are still alive in continuous complete remission (CCR) with a median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of 7.9 years. Five of these six HIT91 patients responded to postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The only patient with tumor progression during initial chemotherapy achieved complete remission with radiotherapy and is alive. In contrast, all five young children died of tumor progression after a median OS of 0.9 years (PFS 0.6 years). They had either metastatic disease (M1) and/or postoperative residual tumor. Response to postoperative chemotherapy was lower than in the older age group, and only one of these children received radiotherapy.

Conclusions

Combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy were feasible and effective in the older age group, leading to prolonged remissions in five of six children. Tumor biology may be more aggressive in younger children with PB, who presented more frequently with high-risk features at diagnosis and had poorer response rates to neoadjuvant postoperative chemotherapy. More intensified treatment regimens may be needed for young children with PB.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Julia Becker and Wiebke Treulieb for excellent data monitoring. This Project was supported by the German Cancer Foundation (Deutsche Krebshilfe) and German Childhood Cancer Foundation (Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s University Hospital, University of Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080, Wuerzburg, Germany

    Bernward G. Hinkes, Katja von Hoff, Frank Deinlein, Paul G. Schlegel, Joachim Kuehl & Stefan Rutkowski

  2. Department of Neuroradiology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany

    Monika Warmuth-Metz

  3. Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany

    Niels Soerensen

  4. Division of Radiation Medicine, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland

    Beate Timmermann

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

    Uwe Mittler

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Christian Urban

  7. Department of Pediatric Oncology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Udo Bode

  8. Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Torsten Pietsch

  9. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Rolf D. Kortmann

Authors
  1. Bernward G. Hinkes
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  2. Katja von Hoff
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  3. Frank Deinlein
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  4. Monika Warmuth-Metz
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  5. Niels Soerensen
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  6. Beate Timmermann
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  7. Uwe Mittler
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  8. Christian Urban
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  9. Udo Bode
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  10. Torsten Pietsch
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  11. Paul G. Schlegel
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  12. Rolf D. Kortmann
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  13. Joachim Kuehl
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  14. Stefan Rutkowski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Rutkowski.

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Hinkes, B.G., von Hoff, K., Deinlein, F. et al. Childhood pineoblastoma: experiences from the prospective multicenter trials HIT-SKK87, HIT-SKK92 and HIT91. J Neurooncol 81, 217–223 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-006-9221-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-006-9221-2

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