Clinical outcomes and patterns of failure in pineoblastoma: a 30-year, single-institution retrospective review

World Neurosurg. 2014 Dec;82(6):1232-41. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2014.07.010. Epub 2014 Jul 18.

Abstract

Objective: To update outcomes and assess prognostic factors in the modern, multimodality treatment of patients with pineoblastoma.

Methods: The medical records of patients with pineoblastoma evaluated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between 1982 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: Thirty-one patients with medical records suitable for review were identified. The majority of patients were female (67.7%) with a median age at diagnosis of 18.2 years (range, 0.3-52.8 years). Twenty-one patients underwent surgical resection, recorded as gross total (n = 9) or subtotal (n = 12) resections. Thirty patients received radiation with photon-based therapy (n = 16), proton-based therapy (n = 13), or radiosurgery (n = 1) to a median craniospinal irradiation dose of 36 Gy (range, 23.4-40 Gy) and a median focal dose of 54 Gy (range, 40-58.4 Gy). Twenty-eight patients received chemotherapy before (n = 10), during (n = 10), and after (n = 22) radiation. Median overall survival was 8.7 years for the entire cohort, with 2-, 5-, and 10- year actuarial rates of 89.5%, 69.4%, and 48.6%, respectively. Median disease-free survival was 10 years with 2-, 5-, and 10- year actuarial rates of 84.3%, 62.6%, and 55.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis failed to correlate age, sex, or extent of surgical resection with disease-free or overall survival.

Conclusions: Modern, multimodality treatment of pineoblastoma yields a high rate of overall survival, with acceptable short- and long-term toxicity. A greater M-stage at presentation and development of disease recurrence correlate with worse overall survival. Patients who received focal radiation initially experienced a greater rate of disease recurrence compared with those treated to the craniospinal axis.

Keywords: Combined modality; MIB-1; Neurosurgery; PNET; Pineal-parenchymal tumors; Pineoblastoma; Radiation; Radiosurgery; Retinoblastoma; Supratentorial.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brain Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology
  • Brain Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Pineal Gland
  • Pinealoma / diagnosis
  • Pinealoma / pathology
  • Pinealoma / therapy*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Analysis
  • Treatment Failure
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult