Clinical management of medulloblastoma in adults

Abstract

Although medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, 30% of cases occur in adults. Recent therapeutic advances in the treatment of average-risk childhood medulloblastoma have emphasized the reduction of treatment-related toxicity while improving progression-free survival. However, lessons learned from the pediatric experience have not been widely applied to the adult population in Phase II or randomized clinical trials. This review will compare adult and pediatric medulloblastoma, highlight case series of adults treated at major academic institutions, and suggest directions for the contemporary management of adults with medulloblastoma.

• adults
• brain tumor
• chemotherapy
• clinical trials
• medulloblastoma
• prognostic factors
• radiation therapy