Objective: Optic pathway/hypothalamic astrocytomas (OPHA) in young children often show accelerated growth and require rather intensive induction chemotherapy.
Methods: Fifteen children (median age: 3 years) with a large OPHA were treated. All of them presented with progressive disease, and the tumor size was larger than 34 mm. Pilocytic astrocytoma was confirmed histologically in 10 patients. Eleven patients had visual disturbance, six had diencephalic syndrome and four had hydrocephalus.
Results: The children received six to eight cycles of cisplatin (20 mg/m(2): days 1-5) and vincristine (1.4 mg/m(2): days 1, 8, 15), every 4 weeks. Objective response was obtained in 11 patients (73%); one complete response, eight partial responses and two minor responses. Although the remaining four cases were evaluated as stable disease, all tumors decreased in volume. All children tolerated the chemotherapy well under careful audiological monitoring.
Conclusion: Although the present series was small, this chemotherapy is a useful regimen for induction therapy in children with an aggressive deep-seated pilocytic astrocytoma.