[Effectiveness of various combinations of chemoradiotherapy for children and adolescents with Hodgkin's disease].

The paper presents the results of a retrospective analysis of the chemoradiotherapy of 393 infant patients with Hodgkin's disease.

[Efficiency of radiation or chemoradiation therapy for diffusely growing brainstem tumors in children].

Radiation or chemoradiation therapy was performed in 97 children with diffusely growing brainstem tumors. A reduction in the severity of neurological disorders was achieved in 92 (94.8%) patients. The course of the disease was traced in 79 patients. Control studies recorded no complete tumor regression. Following 4-8 months, there was growth resumption of a tumor with its lysis and cyst formation in most children. The principal cause of death was local tumor progression. Six-month survivors were 64 (81%) patients; one-, two-, and three-survivors were 21 (26.5%), 8 (10.1%), and 3 (7.65) patients, respectively; one (2.8%) patient survived 5 years. A combination of radiotherapy and monochemotherapy with temodal, vincristine, oncofer, and theraloc failed to improve immediate and long-term results

[Secondary malignancies in late periods after chemoradiotherapy for lymphogranulomatosis in children].

The incidence of secondary malignancies (SM) was studied in a population of 219 patients in late periods (3-29 years) after childhood and adolescence chemoradiotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). SMs were found in 15 (6.8%) patients. These were solid neoplasms located in the irradiated areas in 12 of them, including 4 patients with thyroid cancer and 2 with gastric cancer. All 3 cases of acute leukemia had occurred after chemoradiotherapy performed by extended programs that consisted of a large number of chemotherapy cycles. The detection rate of SM did not significantly depend on the dose of radiation, age at start of treatment, and a child's gender. The findings suggest that there is a need for the maximum concentration of an irradiation beam in the area of thyroid lesion and exposure, for limited cytotoxic therapy programs, and lifetime medical observation of the patients treated for HL in childhood.

[Radiotherapy of cerebellar medulloblastoma in children]. / Luchevaia terapiia pri medulloblastomakh mozzhechka u detei.

Out of 108 children with brain tumors, aged 3-15, receiving radiotherapy in 191-1997, cerebral medulloblastoma was identified in 37 (34%). After total or subtotal excision of tumor, the latter were given 4-12 cycles of polychemotherapy. The brain and spinal marrow was exposed to 30-35 Gy followed by aiming 50-55 Gy irradiation of posterior cranial fossa. Three patients received radiation for recurrent tumor. One patient suffered demyelination as complication after repeated exposure. Out of 32 follow-up patients, 19 have survived an average of 33 months while 13 died having survived an average of 21 months. The main causes of failed therapy proved local progression of tumor and dissemination via liquor. Radical extent of surgery was used as the main prognostic factor.

[Results of comprehensive treatment of lymphogranulomatosis in children of various age groups]. / Rezul'taty kompleksnogo lecheniia limfogranulematoza u detei raznykh vozrastnykh grupp.

The efficacy of combined treatment of 176 children of different age has been analyzed. All the children suffered from Hodgkin's disease which was treated according to protocols COPP, MOPP, DVPP, +radiotherapy, maintenance chemotherapy. The response to the treatment got worse at the age of prepuberty and puberty, e. g. younger children had recurrences in 19.2% of the cases, adolescents had in 33.3%. The latter more frequently died of the malignancy progression. It is concluded that children older than 13 years are at greater risk of bad Hodgkin's disease outcomes and need more intensive treatment programs.