Childhood intramedullary spinal cord astrocytomas

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled “Successful treatment of childhood intramedullary spinal cord astrocytomas with irinotecan and cisplatin.” (Neuro-oncol. 2007 Jan;9(1):39-46. Epub 2006 Nov 15). Authors are Mora J, Cruz O, Gala S, et al., from the Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Deu numero 2, Barcelona, Spain. Childhood spinal cord astrocytomas are rare diseases, and their management is controversial. The authors report their successful experience using irinotecan and cisplatin in three consecutive infants with progressing intramedullary astrocytomas. The first patient was a 16-month-old girl who presented with a grade III intramedullary astrocytoma that rapidly progressed after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Radiological complete remission was achieved 10 months after completion of therapy, and 3.5 years after diagnosis the patient remains disease free. The second patient was a 19-month-old boy. A marked clinical improvement occurred after the first cycle, and MRI showed a very good partial remission at the end of therapy. At 16 months after diagnosis, the patient remains disease free. The third patient was a 10-month-old girl. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.