Childhood central nervous system tumors: a retrospective evaluation of patients between 2008 and 2020

Purpose: In our study, we aimed to evaluate patients with CNS tumors who were admitted to our pediatric hematology oncology center. Material and method: In this study, 152 patients with CNS tumors who were followed and treated in the Pediatric Oncology Clinic of Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between 2008 and 2020 were included. The files of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, presenting complaints, symptom-diagnosis period, diagnosis type, tumor location, presence of metastasis, treatment modalities, recurrence, sequelae and survival status were noted. Statistical analyses were performed with these data. Findings: Of the 152 patients evaluated, 55% were boys and 45% were girls. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.6 years. The most common presenting complaints were headache 42.8%, nausea-vomiting 38.2% and gait-balance disturbance 23%. The mean duration of diagnosis was 4.1 months. The most common site of localization was the infratentorial region. Medulloblastoma was the most common subdiagnosis type with 26.3%. The most common accompanying syndrome was NF-1 and most of the patients had optic glioma. Metastasis rate was 7.2%, the most common metastasis was to the medulla spinalis, and the most common metastasizing tumor was anaplastic ependymoma. The surgery rate was 82.2% and the most common surgical method was total/near-total resection with 80.8%. Chemotherapy was administered in 72.4% and radiotherapy in 57.2%. The most common treatment modality was surgical chemotherapy-radiotherapy combination with 45.4%. While the recurrence rate was 23.7%, the tumors with the highest recurrence rate were anaplastic ependymoma with 61% and high grade tumors with 40%, and this rate was 15% in medulloblastoma. Of all cases, 36.2% of patients died, 36.2% had sequential survival and 27.6% had sequelae-free survival. The 3, 5, and 10 year survival rates in our patients were 57.1%, 55.1%, and 44.3%, respectively, while these rates were 75.6%, 71.4%, and 44.3% in medulloblastoma. Result:In our study, the most common tumor type was medulloblastoma and the most common location was ifratentorial region. Metastasis, tumor grade and recurrence status were found to be effective on survival.