INTRODUCTION Reports on central nervous system (CNS) tumors in infants from low- and middle-income countries are scarce. This is a high-risk population, we sought to analyze their outcomes in Mexico. METHODS Patients <36 months diagnosed CNS tumors between January 2014 to December 2023 from 6 hospitals in Mexico were included. Demographic, treatment, and outcomes were collected. RESULTS In total, 85 patients with a median age of 21 months were included. Of these, 51 (60%) were male. Diagnoses included low-grade glioma (LGG) in 26 (33%), medulloblastoma (MB) in 19 (22%), other embryonal tumors in 12 (14%), ependymoma (EPN) in 11 (13%), high-grade glioma (HGG) in 6 (7%), and other tumors in 11 (13%). Regarding surgery, a near or gross total resection was achieved in 22 patients (26%). For LGG it was 23%, while it was 37% for for MB, 36% for for EPN, and 17% for HGG. Ten patients (12%) died from postoperative complications. Overall, 12 (14%) patients, including 4 patients with MB, had metastasis at diagnosis. In total, 19 (22%) patients received radiotherapy, including 10 patients who received CSI (average age 35 months) and 9 who received focal radiotherapy, including 6 with EPN, 2 with LGG, and 1 with ATRT. Of patients with MB, 18 (95%) received chemotherapy, including 1 with autologous stem cell transplant and 3 with intraventricular chemotherapy. The 5-year event-free survival was 38±11%, while the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 52±10%. The 5-year OS were: 84±10% for LGG, 43±21% for MB, 55±23% for EPN, 9±25% for other embryonal tumors, and 17±35% for HGG. CONCLUSIONS These data show low survival rates, associated with very poor surgical outcomes. A fraction of patients received CSI radiotherapy, showing deviation from international standards. Further analyses are needed to identify factors that lead to better prognosis.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Benito-Reséndiz et al. (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: