[Results of combined treatment of cerebellar medulloblastomas in children with chemotherapy preceding radiotherapy].

153 patients presenting with medulloblastoma between 1980-1992 were treated at the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Child's Health Centre in Warszawa. This group was studied retrospectively and assessed for clinical presentation, histology, treatment regimen and survival. 44 cases treated between 1980 and 1986 underwent surgical resection, postoperative staging evaluation, and craniospinal irradiation, additionally patients assigned to "high risk" group received post-irradiation chemotherapy. Beginning 1986-86 patients with "standard risk" medulloblastoma were treated with preirradiation--"sandwich" chemotherapy consisting of either procarbazine, vincristine and CCNU or "eight drugs a day", followed by megavoltage irradiation, while "high risk" group received also postirradiation chemotherapy. The 5-year actuarial survival rate for all patients was 43%. There were no statistically significant differences in 5-year survival rate between the group treated with preirradiation chemotherapy--52%, and without--54%. The presented group was studied to identify variables of prognostic significance. The extent of disease at the time of diagnosis, as measured by M staging criteria was significantly associated with outcome. The extent of tumour resection, histological subtype of the tumour, postoperative complications, T-staging, and age did not influence the prognosis in the present study.