Results of radiation treatment in 59 patients with ependymomas

ABSTRACT

Fifty-nine patients [56% adults and 44% children] suffering from ependymomas were treated by radiation therapy. Supratentorial involvement was the commonest in 47.5%, followed by infratentorial end spinal ependymomas in 37.3% and 15.2%, respectively. Low pathologic grade [1,2] was more evident in 45.8% and high grade was seen in 42.4% and 11.8% had no definite grading. Following radiation therapy, complete response was evident in 19 Patients, partial response in 21 patients and 19 patient had no response. At the end of three years, 12/19 patients with complete response still in remission, four patients had local recurrence and three patients had spinal metastasis. The three years survival rate was 52% in low grade ependymomas compared with 26% in high grades; while no definite correlation of survival rate to site or treatment adopted