Abstract:
Objective To evaluate prognostic factors and treatment results of patients with pediatric spinal ependymomas after radiotherapy.
Methods This retrospective study included 11 pediatric spinal ependymoma patients who underwent a combination of surgical resection and radiotherapy at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2011 to December 2018. The curative effect was analyzed, and the literature was reviewed.
Results At a median follow-up of 59 months, 7 patients had recurrence and dissemination and 1 patient died of disease progression. The radiotherapy dose was 36-55.8 Gy, with 1.7-1.8 Gy per fraction and an average dose of 45 Gy. No serious adverse reactions occurred during radiotherapy in all pediatric patients. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 42.4% and 100%, respectively. The 5-year PFS and OS were 28.3% and 87.5%, respectively.
Conclusions Surgery is the primary treatment method. However, adjuvant radiotherapy is highly recommended for subtotal resection and anaplastic ependymomas(EP) patients.