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Appraisal of the current staging system for residual medulloblastoma by volumetric analysis

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Abstract

Aim

This study aims to investigate the accuracy of the current staging system of childhood medulloblastoma by using volumetric image analysis on immediate post-operative MRI scans.

Material and methods

Tumour volume and maximum cross area of residual medulloblastoma were measured on immediate post-operative MR scans of 37 children operated between 1999 and 2005.

Results

Mean preoperative volume was 32 cm3 (range 4.5–71.9 cm3). Mean post-operative volume was 3.3 cm3 (range 0–23.3 cm3). At mean follow-up of 50.08 months (range 6–129), 15 (40%) patients had died. Cut-off limit for residual post-operative tumour volume employed was maximum cross section of 1.5 cm2, which corresponds to volume of 1.376 cm3; 14 patients (38%) had no residual tumour, 7 patients (19%) had less than 1.5 cm2 and 16 patients (43%) had more than 1.5 cm2 residual tumour in its maximum cross section area. In three patients (8.2%) there was mismatch between the measured maximum cross section area and volume. In particular, in two patients, the cross section areas were more than 1.5 cm2 but the residual tumour volumes were less than 1.376 cm3 (the cross section area overestimated the residual volume) and in one case, the cross section area was less than 1.5 cm2 but the residual tumour volume was more than 1.376 cm3 (the cross section area underestimated the residual volume; difference statistically significant, Fisher's exact test, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

It appears that volumetric measurement of residual medulloblastoma on immediate post-operative MRI scans may further improve the accuracy of staging process.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Mrs Helen Curry, clinical trial coordinator of the Department of Oncology and the West Midlands Children's Cancer Registry at Birmingham Children's Hospital, for her assistance with data collection and Mr Paul Davies and Ms Carole Cummins, statisticians at Birmingham Children's Hospital and the University of Birmingham, UK, for the assistance with statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, UK

    Dimitris Kombogiorgas, Andrew Peet, Martin English, Kal Natarajan & Spyros Sgouros

  2. Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France

    Stephanie Puget, Nathalie Boddaert & Christian Sainte-Rose

  3. Institute Gustave Russy, Paris, France

    Jacques Grill & Dominique Couanet

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK

    Dimitris Kombogiorgas

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  1. Dimitris Kombogiorgas
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  2. Stephanie Puget
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Correspondence to Dimitris Kombogiorgas.

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Kombogiorgas, D., Puget, S., Boddaert, N. et al. Appraisal of the current staging system for residual medulloblastoma by volumetric analysis. Childs Nerv Syst 27, 2101–2106 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1533-7

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