The treatment of malignant scala posterior tumors in children: II. Preliminary result of the pre- and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy of scala posterior tumors.

Ten children with posterior scala tumor infiltrating the surrounding brain substance and/or the brain stem entered in the present study with preoperative chemotherapy. In 8 of the 10 cases regression and necrosis of the tumor were seen by CT examination after the preoperative therapy. The diameter of the tumor decreased on the average by 35.6% (14.0-74.3%). The main side effect was granulocytopenia. According to our observation, the preoperative therapy enables a more radical surgery in some cases of medulloblastoma and ependymoma. Further observations are necessary to confirm these preliminary results.