POTENTIAL PROGNOSTIC FACTORS OF RELAPSE-FREE SURVIVAL IN CHILDHOOD OPTIC PATHWAY GLIOMA - A MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS

There is still no consensus on the natural history and optimal managem ent of optic pathway gliomas (OPG) in children. In order to tackle opt imal management issues, we need to clearly understand the prognostic a nd confounding factors affecting relapse of OPG. We propose the use of the Cox proportional hazards (PH) model in a retrospective study of c hildhood OPG of 69 children seen from 1977 to 1994. We have developed a comprehensive model capable of multivariate analyses and handling ti me-dependencies. Our studies showed that relapse-free survival improve s with increasing age, the presence of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), and chemotherapy and radiotherapy (p < 0.0005). Sex, tumor position and su rgery do not significantly affect survival. Older children with NF1 ha ve extremely good prognosis. We noted behavior that departs from the s trictly proportional hazards model, but results were inconclusive.