Pediatric Medulloblastomas

Conclusion

Medulloblastoma is a malignant tumor of the cerebellum with high metastatic potential. The standard treatment of nonmetastatic medulloblastoma after total or subtotal resection in children over five years includes irradiation of the central nervous system. For standard as well as high risk forms(metastases in the central nervous system and / or incomplete resection) and cases affecting children under five years, the main recommendation is the treatment of these patients as revealed in multicenter trials done in specialized settings by neurosurgical, pediatric oncology and radiation therapy teams conversant with this pathology. It is from these multidisciplinary teams that the role of chemotherapy in high-risk forms and postoperative treatment with chemotherapy alone in children under five are explored.

After treatment, a multidisciplinary monitoring for development of neurocognitive function, spinal growth, hypothalamic-pituitary function as well as hearing and kidney function is essential to allow for early management of the sequelae of the disease and treatment.

Promising advances are based on molecular biology, which in association with the clinical context and histology do not only help to define the risk groups, but also to detect new targets accessible to targeted molecular therapies currently under trial.