RADIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF LOW-GRADE ASTROCYTOMAS .1. A SURVIVAL ANALYSIS

Between 1954 and 1986 inclusive, 160 children in the North West Region of England were registered with histologically proven low-grade astro cytomas (grade 1 or 2). Ten died before receiving any treatment, and a further seven died within 28 days of surgery, leaving 143 children wh ose survival in relation to treatment modality is the subject of this paper. Low-grade astrocytomas are responsive to radiation therapy. Thi s treatment has no clear benefit to offer children with superficial tu mours that can be resected completely or nearly so, but significantly improves survival rates when tumours are deep-seated and not amenable to excision.