Survival of children with medulloblastoma in Canada diagnosed between 1990 and 2009 inclusive.

The treatment of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, has evolved over the last few decades. The objectives of this paper were to determine the survival of pediatric medulloblastoma in Canada, to determine if there has been an improvement in the survival rates between the years of 1990 and 2009, inclusive, and to determine prognostic factors for survival. All patients under the age of 18 years diagnosed with medulloblastoma from 1990 to 2009, inclusive, in Canada were included. Data collected included date of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, gender, stage, pathology, treatment, recurrence and current status. From these, survival rates were determined. Data were obtained on 628 eligible patients. The overall 5-year survival rate for the study time period was 69.2 ± 3.3 %. The survival rate increased during the interval of 1996-2000, then remained stable; 1990-1994: 60.2 ± 4.3 %; 1995-1999: 73.2 ± 3.5 %; 2000-2004: 68.8 ± 3.7 %; and 2005-2009: 72.1 ± 4.9 %, p = 0.05. Children over 14 years of age had a significantly better overall survival than those age 5-14 and those under 5 (85.7 ± 5.5 % vs 76.1 ± 2.7 % and 60.8 ± 3 % respectively, p = 0.001). Histologic medulloblastoma subtype and M stage of disease did not result in significant differences in survival. Despite changes in approaches to therapy, we demonstrate a steady survival rate for children with medulloblastoma after 1996. In our analyses, age over 14 years was associated with a higher survival rate.

Incidence of medulloblastoma in Canadian children.

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. There was a perception of pediatric neuro-oncologists that the incidence had declined in Canada. An epidemiological survey was undertaken to determine the incidence of this tumor in Canada and if a change had indeed occurred. All patients 14 years and under diagnosed with medulloblastoma from 1990 to 2009 inclusive in Canada were included. Data collected included date of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, gender, stage, pathology, treatment, recurrence and current status. Data were analysed for change in incidence over time. Data were obtained on 574 eligible patients. The mean overall incidence per 1,000,000 persons was 4.82 (95 % CI 4.28-5.35) for the study time period. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.8 years, and there was a male predominance. Although there was an increase in incidence over the first three time periods (24 % for 1990-1994, 27.5 % for 1995-1999, 27.7 % for 2000-2004), the most recent time period (2005-2009) showed a decrease (21 %). This was true for male children while the incidence was stable for females. The mean incidence rate was double for children under the age of 5 years (7.92 per million) compared to those over 5 years (3.64 per million).This study showed that from 1990 to 2009 the incidence of medulloblastoma was relatively stable, with a slight decrease in the last five-year time period.