Bilateral Simultaneous Temporal Relapses of Medulloblastoma.

ABSTRACT

Supratentorial relapses are a common component of medulloblastoma after failure of treatment. Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) to cerebrospinal fluid-bearing areas is an essential part of the management of these tumors both in adults and children. Failure of treatment in specific anatomical regions can be attributable to technical inaccuracies in CSI technique leading to radiation underdosing in such areas. We present two cases of patients with bilateral simultaneous metastasis of a primary medulloblastoma treated, in both cases, four years before the recurrence. In both patients the tumors were mirror images, at the right and left temporal pole. Radiotherapeutic plans were analyzed in both cases, and a possible mechanism determining the pattern of relapse is discussed. We consider, in agreement with the literature, that a prone position during treatment, shielding blocks at the cribiform/subfrontal region, and anatomic inadequacies in the CSI fields could have contributed to the presented pattern of relapse.