CHEMOTHERAPY WITH THE 8-IN-1-PROTOCOL FOR MALIGNANT BRAIN-TUMORS IN CHILDREN - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY IN FINLAND

We evaluated the outcome of 68 children with malignant brain tumors tr eated with the ''8 in 1'' chemotherapy protocol in Finland from 1986 t o 1993, comparing 5-year survival rates with those for a historical co ntrol group (from 1975 to 1985). For all malignant brain tumors, overa ll survival was 43% (vs 28% in. the control group; P< 0.05), and progr ession-free survival (PFS) was 43% (vs 23%; P< 0.05). For medulloblast oma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor, survival was 63% (vs 35%; P< 0.05), and the corresponding PFS was 59% (vs 35%; P= 0.15). For high-g rade glioma, both the survival rate and the PFS were 27% (vs 17%; P = NS). Thus the outcome was significantly better for our ''8 in 1''-trea ted patients than for the historical controls, especially among the ch ildren with primitive neuroectodermal tumor and medulloblastoma. in co ntrast, those with high-grade gliomas and brain stem tumors seem to ha ve received little benefit; different, more effective treatments are n eeded for these patients.