Use of chemotherapy in brain tumors in children--possibilities and perspectives
Barjaktarević, Z.; Jeremić, B.; Sobić, V.
Srpski Arhiv Za Celokupno Lekarstvo 117(11-12): 837-849
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0370-8179 PMID: 2491000 Document Number: 335815
In the past two decades a huge progress was achieved in the treatment of malignant diseases in children. The cyclical chemotherapy combined with surgery and radiotherapy gave very good results. However, the contribution of chemotherapy to paediatric neuro-oncology was not as great is it was to other branches of paediatric oncology (acute leukaemia, malignant lymphoma, Wilms' tumour). One of the reasons is that although brain tumours are usually solid in children the existence of different histological types contributes to the fact that they are not very frequent or are rare. Consequently, for many types the necessary number of representative controlled studies is lacking. On the other hand, the leading paediatric oncology associations in the world (Children's Cancer Study Group (CCSG), International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and Paediatric Oncology Group (POG)) have applied the prospective clinical programmes of treatment of these tumours later than in other malignant diseases. On the basis of the analysis of these programmes and experience of individual oncological centres a certain experience was acquired in present-day possibilities of chemotherapy in children suffering from brain tumours.