Hi Dr. Landolfi
Here is the next question from the group.
"What are the statistics on recurrence of those who have had radiation versus those who do not?"
The doctor's response...
There is no simple answer to this question. There are inadequate numbers and inadequate studies to make an accurate determination. For patients with Grade 3 lesions, radiotherapy is recommended post surgery. The same is true for children with grade 2 or 3. Radiotherapy is also recommended for recurrent Grade 2 lesions, particularly if they can't be resected. Right now the controversy surrounds radiotherapy for adults with initial diagnosis of Grade 2 lesions after resection. There is one paper that compared adults given radiation versus those who did not. These patients had grade 2 ependymomas after surgery. They looked at progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival(OS). This paper found no significant difference between PFS or OS between the two groups. The paper is...A multicenter study of the prognosis and treatment of adult brain ependymal tumors.
Reni M, Brandes AA, Vavassori V, Cavallo G, Casagrande F, Vastola F, Magli A, Franzin A, Basso U, Villa E.
Dr. Landolfi