Treatment of extraneural metastatic medulloblastoma with a combination of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and vincristine.

Seven patients with extraneural metastases from medulloblastoma were treated with a combination of cytoxan, adriamycin, and vincristine (CAV). None of the patients had evidence of active neural axis disease. All patients with bone metastases responded with a reduction in bone pain and improvement on the radionuclide bone scan. One patient presenting with lymph node metastases showed initial reduction in the size of the palpable nodes. In this group, the median time to the development of extraneural metastasis was 18 months from the time of original diagnosis of central nervous system medulloblastoma. The median duration of response to CAV, after extraneural metastasis, was 17 months (4-65 months). Four of seven patients died of disease-related causes, one patient presumed well was lost to follow-up, and two of seven are still without evidence of active disease at 37 and 65 months. The combination of CAV is well tolerated and provides reasonably good palliation for extraneural medulloblastoma.