LONG-TERM OUTCOME FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH SACROCOCCYGEAL TERATOMA - A REPORT FROM THE CHILDRENS CANCER GROUP

Background/Purpose: Sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT) are a relatively un common tumor affecting neonates, infants, and children. This study was designed to determine the effect of therapy on the long-term outcome of neonates and children with sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT). Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review of children with SCT tre ated at 15 Childrens Cancer Group institutions from 1972 to 1994. Resu lts: One hundred twenty-six children presented with SCT diagnosed pren atally (n = 32), at birth (n = 79), or later in infancy (n = 15). For neonates, complete resection was performed except in two babies with l ethal associated defects. All others (n = 15) underwent resection at t he age of diagnosis. Six had a sacral mass identified at birth but had delayed surgery (1.5 to 11 months) and of these, two were malignant. Resection was via sacral (n = 96) or abdominosacral (n = 28) approach. Histology showed mature teratoma (MT, 69%), immature teratoma (IT, 20 %), or endodermal sinus tumor (EST, 11%) at presentation. Seven neonat es (5.6%) died of perioperative complications, whereas the remaining 1 17 were available for long-term follow-up. Between 6 and 34 months pos tresection, recurrent disease developed in 9 of 80 MT patients (11%) f ollowed-up for a mean of 5 years. Recurrent disease was MT (n = 2) and EST (n = 7). The recurrent EST patients were treated with adjuvant ch emotherapy. Six are alive with mean follow-up of 114 months, whereas o ne with metastatic disease was lost to follow-up. Recurrence (MT) deve loped in only 1 of 24 IT patients, and all are alive and well at mean follow-up of 39 months. Patients presenting with EST (n = 13) underwen t excision, with two dying from non-EST causes. Six EST patients recei ved no chemotherapy, with two of the six (33%) experiencing recurrence within 11 months and both disease free after salvage chemotherapy. Th e remaining five EST patients received adjuvant chemotherapy; four are alive and one died of metastatic disease. Of the 18 EST patients foll owed-up after resection (presentation, 11, recurrent teratoma, 7), 16 (89%) are free of disease with a mea n follow-up of 91 months. Conclus ions: (1) Benign teratomas have a significant recurrence rate mandatin g close follow-up for more than 3 years. (2) Surgical resection alone is adequate therapy for nonmetastatic malignant tumors. (3) Survival f or malignant lesions with metastases is excellent with modern chemothe rapy. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.