Skip to main content
Log in

Hyperfractionated radiotherapy and polychemotherapy in brain stem tumors in children

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Child's Nervous System Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Between October 1989 and Junuary 1991 five children with brain stem tumors were treated with sequential chemo- and radiotherapy. The polychemotherapy consisted of procarbazine, ifosfamide, etoposide, methotrexate, cisplatin and cytosine arabinoside. Locally, hyperfractionated radiotherapy was delivered at a total dose of 63.8 Gy (1.1 Gy twice daily, 10 fractions per week). After a median observation time of 11.8 (range 4–23) months from diagnosis three children are alive and without evidence of tumor progression. Two patients died from tumor progression 11 and 16 months respectively after initiation of therapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Allen JC, Bloom J, Ertel I, Evans A, Hammond D, Jones H, Levin V, Jenkin D, Sposto R, Wara W (1986) Brain tumors in children: current cooperative and institutional chemotherapy trials in newly diagnosed and recurrent disease. Semin Oncol 13:110–122

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bloom HJG (1982) Intracranial tumors: response and resistance to therapeutic endeavors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 8: 1038–1113

    Google Scholar 

  3. Deutsch M, Green SB, Strike TA, Burger PC, Robertson JT, Selker RG, Shapiro WR, Mealey J, Ransohoff J II, Paoletti P, Smith KR Jr, Odem GL, Hunt WE, Young B, Alexander E Jr, Walker MD, Pistenmaa DA (1990) Results of randomized trial comparing BCNU plus radiotherapy, streptozocin plus radiotherapy, BCNU plus hyperfractionated radiotherapy, and BCNU following misonidazole plus radiotherapy in the postoperative treatment of malignant glioma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 16: 1389–1396

    Google Scholar 

  4. Edwards MSB, Wara WM, Ureasun RC, Prados M, Levin VA, Fulton D, Wilson CB, Hannigan J, Silver P (1989) Hyperfractionated radiation therapy for brain-stem glioma: a phase I–II trial. J Neurosurg 70: 691–700

    Google Scholar 

  5. Eifel PJ, Cassady JR, Belli JA (1987) Radiation therapy of tumors of the brain stem and midbrain in children: experience of the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy and Children's Hospital Medical Center (1971–1981). Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 13: 847–852

    Google Scholar 

  6. Epstein F, McCleary E (1986) Intrinsic brain-stem tumors of childhood: surgical indications. J Neurosurg 64: 11–15

    Google Scholar 

  7. Freeman CR, Suissa S (1986) Brain stem tumors in children: results of a survey of 62 patients treated with radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 12: 1823–1828

    Google Scholar 

  8. Freeman CR, Krischer J, Sanford RA, Burger PC, Cohen M, Norris D (1988) Hyperfractionated radiotherapy in brain stem tumors: results of a pediatric oncology group study. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 15:311–318

    Google Scholar 

  9. Geyer JR, Pendergrass TW, Milstein JM, Bleyer WA (1988) Eight drugs in one day chemotherapy in children with brain tumors: a critical toxicity appraisal. J Clin Oncol 6: 996–1000

    Google Scholar 

  10. Grigsby PW, Thomas PRM, Schwartz HG, Fineberg B (1987) Arradiation of primary thalamic and brainstem tumors in a pediatric population. Cancer 60: 2901–2906

    Google Scholar 

  11. Halperin EC (1985) Pediatric brain stem tumors: patterns of treatment failure and their implications for radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 11: 1293–1298

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jenkin RD, Boesel C, Ertel I, Evans A, Hittle R, Ortega J, Prosto R, Wara W, Wilson C, Anderson J, Leikin S, Hammond GD (1987) Brain-stem tumors in childhood: a prospective randomized trial of irradiation with and without adjuvant CCNU, VCR, and prednisone. J Neurosurg 66: 227–233

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kretschmar CS, Warren MP, Lavally BL, Dyer S, Tarbell NJ (1990) Ototoxicity of preradiation cisplatin for children with central nervous system tumors. J Clin Oncol 8: 1191–1198

    Google Scholar 

  14. Kühl J (1987) Arbeitsgruppe für Hirntumoren im Kindesalter. Einführung, Begründung und Zielsetzung. Klin Pädiatr 199: 196–199

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kühl J (1988) Chemotherapie bei Hirntumoren im Kindesalter. Literaturübersicht und Pilotprotokoll. Klin Pädiatr 200: 214–220

    Google Scholar 

  16. Leibel SA (1990) Tumors of the central nervous system. In: Cox JD (ed) Syllabus: a categorical course in radiation therapy. Clinical trials with radiation therapy. Radiation Society of North America, Oak Brook, Ill

    Google Scholar 

  17. Levin VA, Edwards MSB, Wara WM, Ortega J, Vestnys P (1984) 5-Fluorouracil and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU) followed by hydroxyurea, misonidazole and irradiation for brain stem gliomas: a pilot study of the Brain Tumor Research Center and Children's Cancer Group. Neurosurgery 14: 679–681

    Google Scholar 

  18. Linstadt DE, Edwards MSB, Prados M, Larson DA, Wara WM (1991) Hyperfractionated irradiation for adults with brain stem gliomas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 20: 757–760

    Google Scholar 

  19. Packer RJ, Littmann PA, Sposto RM, D'Angio G, Priest JR, Heidemann RL, Bruce DA, Nelson DF (1987) Results of a pilot study of hyperfractionated radiation therapy for children with brain stem gliomas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 13: 1647–1651

    Google Scholar 

  20. Pendergrass TW, Milstein JM, Geyer JR, Mulne AF, Kosnik EJ, Morris JD, Heidemann RL, Ruymann FB, Stuntz JT, Bleyer WA (1987) Eight drugs in one day chemotherapy for brain tumors: experience in 107 children and rationale for preradiation chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 5: 1221–1231

    Google Scholar 

  21. Shibamoto Y, Takahashi M, Dokoh S, Tanabe M, Isheda T, Abe M (1989) Radiation therapy for brain stem tumor with special reference to the CT feature and prognosis correlations. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 17: 71–76

    Google Scholar 

  22. Withers HR (1985) Biologic basis for altered fractionation schemes. Cancer 55: 2086–2095

    Google Scholar 

  23. Withers HR, Peters LJ, Thames HD, Fletcher GH (1982) Hyperfractionation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 8: 1007–1009

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pakisch, B., Urban, C., Slavc, I. et al. Hyperfractionated radiotherapy and polychemotherapy in brain stem tumors in children. Child's Nerv Syst 8, 215–218 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262849

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262849

Key words

Navigation