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A
population-based study of the incidence and survival rates in patients with
pilocytic astrocytoma
Burkhard C, Di Patre PL, Schuler D, Schuler G, Yasargil MG, Yonekawa Y,
Lutolf UM, Kleihues P, Ohgaki H
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
Object. The incidence of pilocytic astrocytomas and the rate of patient
survival were analyzed in a population-based study in the canton of Zurich,
Switzerland.
Methods. Between 1980 and 1994, 987 astrocytic and
oligodendroglial tumors were diagnosed, of which 55 (5.5%) were pilocytic
astrocytomas.
The incidence rate, adjusted to the World Standard Population, was 4.8 per 1
million per year.
The mean age at clinical diagnosis was 19.6 +/- 12.7 years, and the male/female
ratio was 1.12.
The most frequent tumor sites were the cerebellum (40%), followed by
supratentorial locations (35%), the optic pathway and hypothalamus (11%), and
the brainstem (9%).
The mean follow-up period was 12 years.
Observed survival rates were 100% at 5 years and 95.8% at 10 years after
diagnosis (relative survival rate at 10 years: 96.8%).
Seven patients (13%) received postoperative radiotherapy, but this did not
significantly affect survival.
In all patients the tumors were histologically classified as WHO Grade I, except
in two patients who had anaplastic pilocytic astrocytoma (Grade III), one of
whom died after 7 years, whereas the other was still alive after 10 years.
Conclusions. This population-based study shows that, because of the benign biological
behavior of pilocytic astrocytomas and advances in microneurosurgery, the
survival rates for patients with these tumors are excellent, regardless of
postoperative radiotherapy.
PMID: 12816259 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12816259&dopt=Abstract
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