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Chemotherapeutic induction of long-term remission in metastatic medulloblastoma

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Abstract

The treatment of extraneural metastatic medulloblastoma is mainly a domain of chemotherapy. Although previous results were promising, the overall poor prognosis, high relapse rates and the still unknown ideal combination of chemotherapeutic agents leave many questions open. In this study, the effectiveness of previouslyused chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of metastatic medulloblastoma is reviewed, and the effectiveness and complexityof emerging new treatment strategies including high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow and peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation are discussed.Furthermore, we describe a case of bone-metastasized recurrent medulloblastoma with the longest remission ever reported (120 months) after regimens containing doxorubicine, vincristine, cyclophosphamide (ACO-protocol) [1, 2] and methotrexate. When relapse with bone and bone marrow infiltration occurred, a second chemotherapeutically induced complete remission was achieved. High-dose-chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation was used as a consolidating regimen. Complete remission has persisted for over 15 months now.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine I (Hematology-Oncology), University of Freiburg Medical Center, Hugstetterstr. 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany

    Eugen Leo & Albrecht Lindemann

  2. Lucile Salter Packard Childrens‘ Hospital, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Paul G. Schlegel

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  1. Eugen Leo
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  2. Paul G. Schlegel
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  3. Albrecht Lindemann
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Leo, E., Schlegel, P.G. & Lindemann, A. Chemotherapeutic induction of long-term remission in metastatic medulloblastoma. J Neurooncol 32, 149–154 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005721510659

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