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Long-term visual acuity outcomes after radiation therapy for sporadic optic pathway glioma

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

Abstract

Purpose

Children with sporadic optic pathway glioma (OPG) commonly experience a decline in visual acuity (VA). This study aimed to quantify long-term VA outcomes after definitive radiation therapy (RT).

Methods

From 1997 to 2017, 41 patients underwent RT for OPG and had baseline VA testing. All patients underwent serial VA testing every 3–6 months during the first 5 years and annually thereafter. The cumulative incidence of VA decline or improvement (per eye) was estimated using death as a competing risk.

Results

Mean follow-up was 5 years. Most tumors (93%) involved the postchiasmatic optic tracts and/or hypothalamus. Of the tumors tested for BRAF alterations (n = 15), 67% had a BRAF fusion. Median time to VA decline was 20 months in the eye with worse vision and 22 months in the better eye. For the worse eye, the 5-year cumulative incidences of VA decline and improvement were 17.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7–32.8%] and 13.5% (95% CI 4.7–26.7%), respectively. For the better eye, the 5-year cumulative incidences of VA decline and improvement were 11.5% (95% CI 3.5–30.7%) and 10.6% (95% CI 2.6–25.2%), respectively. Visual outcomes did not correlate with radiographic evidence of tumor progression.

Conclusions

The 5-year cumulative incidence of VA decline was low. VA decline is most likely to occur within the first 2 years after RT and is not associated with radiographic progression of disease, highlighting the need for frequent ophthalmologic exams during this period.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Keith A. Laycock, PhD, ELS, for scientific editing of the manuscript and Tina D. Davis MBA, RHIA, Erin Kelly, MSW, and Samantha Buhler, CCRP, for assistance in data collection.

Funding

All authors receive research support from the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Sahaja Acharya, Sophia Quesada, Kenneth Coca & Thomas E. Merchant

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Cody Richardson & Mary E. Hoehn

  3. Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

    Jason Chiang

  4. Division of Neuro-Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

    Ibrahim Qaddoumi & Amar Gajjar

  5. Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

    Frederick A. Boop

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  1. Sahaja Acharya
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Correspondence to Sahaja Acharya.

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Acharya, S., Quesada, S., Coca, K. et al. Long-term visual acuity outcomes after radiation therapy for sporadic optic pathway glioma. J Neurooncol 144, 603–610 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-019-03264-2

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