Stereotactic Radiotherapy Effective for Brain Tumors in Children

Newswise — A highly precise, focused type of radiation therapy is effective in treating localized, low-grade brain tumors in children as young as two, according to a new study presented today at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Five years after treatment with stereotactic radiotherapy, 82 percent of children in the study had no recurrence of the tumors. While 35 percent experienced some recurrence after eight years, most of the tumor progression did not occur in the radiation field.

"These children can have excellent outcomes with this therapy without having to treat uninvolved parts of the brain, which significantly reduces toxicity and side effects," said lead author Karen Marcus, M.D., pediatric oncologist at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Of the low number of recurrences we had, they were not at the edges of the tumors, which might have suggested we were missing tumors using such tight margins."

Survival rates for children in the study were also high—98 percent and 82 percent after five and eight years, respectively.

"Most of the drop off in survival rates was due to 'distant' progression; that is, the recurrences were not at the site of radiation," said Dr. Marcus.

The prospective trial followed 81 children enrolled at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from 1992 to 1998. The average age was nine years. The children were enrolled when their cancer progressed after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery. Most children had low-grade gliomas.

"This is a safe, effective treatment in children for whom surgery and chemotherapy have not been effective," said Dr. Marcus, who added that the procedure is non-invasive and does not necessarily require anesthesia. "But this study tells us these children need to be followed for a long time. We're still seeing late recurrences outside the radiation sites, suggesting these tumors have the ability to recur late."

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with 7000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society's mission is to advance the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.