ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Induction chemotherapy with carboplatin followed by radiotherapy has been used for many years for treating intracranial germ-cell tumors (IC-GCTs) in Thailand. The objective of this study was to assess treatment outcomes, focusing on survival and ototoxicity. METHODS: The outcomes of all patients with IC-GCT treated at Ramathibodi Hospital and the Prasat Neurological Institute between 2000 and 2017 were reviewed and analyzed, including all patient characteristics and treatment modalities. Five-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and factors affecting survival were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients age 1-14 years (median, 11 years) were included in this study. The median follow-up time was 63 months. The 5-year EFS and OS rates were 94.3% and 96.2% for all patients, respectively. No statistical difference in OS or EFS was observed between the data of recipients in the carboplatin-based and historical cisplatin-based therapies in our institutes. Concerning radiotherapy, omission of radiotherapy or focal irradiation results in worse long-term survival outcomes, but reduction in dose of radiotherapy to less than 40 Gy did not cause any negative impact on survival rates. Furthermore, carboplatin was associated with lower rates of hearing loss than cisplatin (5.7% vs 87.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Induction chemotherapy with carboplatin-based regimens was associated with excellent survival rates and low ototoxicity in patients with IC-GCT. Radiotherapy should be given to all patients with a minimal volume equivalent to whole-ventricular radiotherapy, during which doses of lower than 40 Gy can be effectively used.
