Chemotherapy for pediatric brain tumors

Abstract

According to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States, brain tumor is becoming the leading cause of death in patients below the age of 34 and the mortality rate of brain tumor is the highest among all pediatric cancers. Social recognition for this issue is sadly lacking in our country. Pediatric brain tumors differ from adult brain tumors in several ways. First of all, the histological types of tumors encountered in children are uncommon and various. This variety makes the management strategy complex. The appropriate selection of management including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy for individual patients is very difficult when concerning their optimal outcomes. Although not well established, chemotherapy may be useful for medulloblastomas, PNETs, germ cell tumors, pilocytic astrocytomas in very young children, etc. In Japan, the medical care system for children with brain tumors who require chemotherapy has been lacking and is far behind that found in Western countries. Centralization of institutes where pediatric brain tumors are managed is seriously needed at present.