[Pediatric brain tumors--diagnostic and treatment].

During the period 1995-2004 we treated 212 patients (pts) with brain tumors. There were 133 boys and 79 girls, aged from 2,5 yrs up to 18 yrs (Me = 9, 7 yrs). The majority of pts were in age group (4-16) yrs-179 pts. Supratentorial tumors were diagnosed in 118 pts vs. infratentorial 94 pts. Therapy involved surgery, postoperative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. Survival rates were calculated using Caplan-Meier method and differences between curves with log-rank test. During the follow-up period from 1 to 9 year (Me = 3 yrs) 5-year disease free survival rate was 55.7%. 79 pts failed to therapy. There was no statistically significant difference in survival according to sex (p = 0.123) and age (p = 0.367). Pts with supratentorial tumors had statistically significant better survival (p = 0.036). Pts with histologic type low grade astrocitomas had statistically significant better survival than malignant gliomas, ependymomas and PNET (p = 0.0001). Surgery, postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy in selected cases are efficient therapeutic approach for pediatric brain tumors.

TP53 mutations in breast cancer: association with ductal histology and early relapse of disease.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence of core domain TP53 mutations in Serbian breast cancer patients in view of their possible correlation with prognostic parameters, tumor characteristics and clinical disease course. METHODS: 145 breast cancer patients were included. Data on clinical disease course were available for 100 patients including 30 node-negative and 70 node-positive patients. After surgery, node-positive patients underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, mostly CMF. TP53 mutations were detected by PCR-SSCP. RESULTS: 31 mutations were found in 27/145 patients including 4/59 node-negative patients and 23/83 node-positive patients (4 double mutations). 26/31 TP53 mutations were found in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma and only 2 in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma. The presence of TP53 mutations was correlated with clinical disease course in premenopausal node-positive patients (n=70). 11/20 patients with TP53 mutations relapsed. Within the first 24 months of follow-up, significantly shorter disease-free intervals were observed in TP53-mutated patients. CONCLUSIONS: TP53 mutations correlated only with nodal status and ductal histology. The significance of the predominant distribution of TP53 mutations in tumors with a ductal histology for the aggressive behavior of these tumors has yet to be proved, since the favorable biological features of tumors with a lobular histology do not result in a better prognosis. Early relapse in mutated-TP53 carriers may support data on its predictive value with respect to adjuvant CMF.