Evaluation of late effects of postoperative radiotherapy in patients with medulloblastoma

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate long-term toxicity in children with medulloblastomatreated with postoperative radiotherapy (RT).This study included 21 patients aged 4-16 who had been diagnosed withmedulloblastoma. All of the patients in the study received postoperativecraniospinal RT. Postoperative RT followed by chemotherapy was the treatmentprotocol. A total of 13 patients (62%) received chemotherapy concurrentlywith RT.Overall survival was 50 months (range, 1-169 months) and disease-freesurvival was 39 months (range, 4-171 months). In the data analysis, theheights of 11 patients (91.6%) were found to be below 50% on the heightcurve, and 8 (66.6%) patients had weights below 50% on the weight curve.Mean sitting height was 72.58±6.33 cm, and this was statistically correlatedwith parameters such as LH level (p=0.037), testosterone level (p=0.020),height (p=0.002), weight (p=0.033) and age at diagnosis (p=0.002).Radiation therapy for medulloblastoma seems to have a late toxic effect onlong-term survivors. With the improving survival rate of medulloblastomapatients, RT doses should be as low as possible without sacrificing efficacy.