Summary
Forty-one patients with ages from 0 to 16 years harbouring Supratentorial astrocytic tumours were treated between 1964 and 1986. Twenty-four of them were located in the cerebral hemisphere or in the ventricle, and 17 were in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and/ or optico-hypothalamic region. There were nine glioblastomas multiforme, four anaplastic astrocytomas, 11 fibrillary astrocytomas, 12 pilocytic astrocytomas, two pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas, two subependymal giant cell astrocytomas and one primitive astrocytic tumour. Low grade tumours tended to occur in young subjects near the midline, and high grade ones in older patients in the hemisphere. Initial treatment in most the patients was a resection or biopsy followed by radiation therapy. Eleven patients were retreated for their recurrent tumours with combinations of surgical removal of the tumour, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. After a follow-up of 3 months to 17 years, 51% of the patients survived with a median survival of 7 years. Outcome of the patients with Supratentorial astrocytomas correlated mostly with the histological grade of malignancy of the tumour, and to a lesser degree with the tumour location. The biological behaviour and treatment of supratentorial astrocytomas in childhood are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Mefty O, Al-Rodhan NRF, Phillips RL, El-Senossi M, Fox JL (1987) Factors affecting survival of children with malignant gliomas. Neurosurgery 20: 416–420
Bernstein M, Hoffman HJ, Halliday WC, Hendrick EB, Humphreys RP (1984) Thalamic tumors in children. Long-term follow-up and treatment guidelines. J Neurosurg 61: 649–656
Burger PC, Vogel FS, Green SB, Strike TA (1985) Glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma. Pathologic criteria and prognostic implications. Cancer 56: 1106–1111
Chadduck WM, Netsky MG, Familial gliomas (1982) Report of four families, with chromosome studies. Neurosurgery 10: 445–449
Challa VR, Goodman HO, Davis CH Jr (1983) Familial brain tumors: studies of two families and review of recent literature. Neurosurgery 12: 18–23
The Committee of the Brain Tumor Registry in Japan (1987) A statistical study of brain tumors in Japan: General features. Jpn J Clin Oncol 17: 19–28
The Committee on Histological Classification of Childhood Tumors of the Japanese Pathological Society (1983) Histological Classification and Atlas of Tumors in Infancy and Childhood. V. Tumors of Central Nervous System. Kanehara, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto
Dohrmann GJ, Farwell JR, Flannery JT (1976) Glioblastoma multiforme in children. J Neurosurg 44: 442–447
Dropcho EJ, Wisoff JH, Walker RW, Allen JC (1978) Supratentorial malignant gliomas in childhood: A review of fifty cases. Ann Neurol 22: 355–364
Duffner PK, Cohen ME, Myers MH, Heise HW (1986) Survival of children with brain tumors: SEER program, 1973–1980. Neurology 36: 597–601
Ellenberg L, McComb JG, Siegel SE, Stowe S(1987) Factors affecting intellectual outcome in pediatrie brain tumor patients. Neurosurgery 21: 638–644
Farwell JR, Flannery JT (1984) Second primaries in children with central nervous system tumors. J Neuro-Oncol 2: 371–375
Frankel SA, German WJ (1958) Glioblastoma multiforme: Review of 219 cases with regard to natural history, pathology, diagnostic methods, and treatment. J Neurosurg 15: 489–503
Gillett GR, Symon L (1987) Hypothalamic glioma. Surg Neurol 28: 291–300
Gullotta F, Casentini L, Neumann J (1980) Giant cell gliomas of the temporal lobe. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 54: 25–31
Hoffman HJ (1982) Supratentorial brain tumors in children. In: Youmans JR (ed): Neurological surgery, 2nd edn. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 2702–2732
Hooper R (1975) Intracranial tumours in childhood. Child's Brain 1: 136–140
Horowitz ME, Mulhern RK, Kun LE, Kovnar E, Sanford RA, Simmons J, Hayes FA, Jenkins JJ (1988) Brain tumors in the very young child. Postoperative chemotherapy in combined-modality treatment. Cancer 61: 428–434
Itoh H, Ohsato K, Yao T, Iida M, Watanabe H (1979): Turcot's syndrome and its mode of inheritance. Gut 20: 414–419
Kageyama N, Kanamori M, Yoshida J, Sugita K (1987) Pathological considerations on follow-up results of optic glioma. Prog exp Tumor Res 30: 100–107
Kun LE, Mulhern RK, Crisco JJ (1983) Quality of life in children treated for brain tumors. Intellectual, emotional, and academic function. J Neurosurg 58: 1–6
Mercuri S, Russo A, Palma L (1981) Hemispheric supratentorial astrocytomas in children. Long-term results in 29 cases. J Neurosurg 55: 170–173
Nishio S, Takeshita I, Fukui M, Yamashita M, Tateishi J (1988) Anaplastic evolution of childhood optico-hypothalamic pilocytic astrocytoma: Report of an autopsy case. Clin Neuropathol 7: 254–258
Painter MJ, Pang D, Ahdab-Barmada M, Bergman I(1984) Connatal brain tumors in patients with tuberous sclerosis. Neurosurgery 14: 570–573
Palma L, Guidetti B (1985) Cystic pilocytic astrocytomas of the cerebral hemispheres. Surgical experience with 51 cases and longterm results. J Neurosurg 62: 811–815
Palma L, Maleci A, Di Lorenzo N, Lauro GM (1985) Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma with 18-year survival. Case report. J Neurosurg 63: 808–810
Phuphanich S, Edwards MSB, Levin VA, Vestnys PS, Wara WM, Davis RL, Wilson CB (1984) Supratentorial malginant gliomas of childhood. Results of treatment with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. J Neurosurg 60: 495–499
Radkowski MA, Naidich TP, Tomita T, Byrd SE, McLone DG (1988) Neonatal brain tumors: CT and MR findings. J Comput Assist Tomogr 12: 10–20
Roosen N, De La Porte C, Van Vyve M, Solheid C, Selosse P (1984) Familial oligodendroglioma. Case report. J Neurosurg 60: 848–849
Scanlon PW, Taylor WF(1979) Radiotherapy of intracranial astrocytomas: Analysis of 417 cases treated from 1960 through 1969. Neurosurgery 5: 301–308
Shin KH, Webster JH (1979) Astrocytoma in children: A review of 79 cases-1960–1976. J Can Assoc Radiol 30: 167–169
Taveras JM, Thompson HG Jr, Pool JL (1962) Should we treat glioblastoma multiforme: A study of survival in 425 cases. AJR 87: 473–479
Todd DW, Christoferson LA, Leech RW, Rudolf L (1981) A family affected with intestinal polyposis and gliomas. Ann Neurol 10: 390–392
Trigg ME, Swanson JD, Letellier MA (1983) Metastasis of an optic glioma through a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Cancer 52: 599–601
Yamashita M, Inoue T, Nishio S, Fukui M, Iwaki T, Mizuno Y, Hasuo K (1988) [Chiasmal pilocytic astrocytoma with intracranial and spinal metastases]. Shoni no Noshinkei 13: 177–182 (Jpn)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nishio, S., Takeshita, I., Fujii, K. et al. Supratentorial astrocytic tumours of childhood: A clinicopathologic study of 41 cases. Acta neurochir 101, 3–8 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01410061
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01410061