A Phase II Trial of Conformal Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Patients With Localized Ependymoma, Chemotherapy Prior to Second Surgery for Incompletely Resected Ependymoma and Observation for Completely Resected, Differentiated, Supratentorial Ependymoma
A Phase II Trial of Conformal Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Patients With Localized Ependymoma, Chemotherapy Prior to Second Surgery for Incompletely Resected Ependymoma and Observation for Completely Resected, Differentiated, Supratentorial Ependymoma
RATIONALE: Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery.
PURPOSE: Phase II trial to determine the effectiveness of specialized radiation therapy either alone or after chemotherapy and second surgery in treating children who have undergone surgery for localized ependymoma.
OBJECTIVES:
OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to extent of prior surgical resection.
Patients are followed every 4 months for 3 years, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 250-350 patients will be accrued for this study within 5 years.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Histologically confirmed intracranial ependymoma
No primary spinal cord ependymoma, myxopapillary ependymoma, subependymoma, ependymoblastoma, or mixed glioma
No evidence of noncontiguous spread beyond primary site
Initial surgical resection within the past 56 days
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
Age:
Performance status:
Life expectancy:
Hematopoietic:
Hepatic:
Renal:
Other:
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Biologic therapy:
Chemotherapy:
Endocrine therapy:
Radiotherapy:
Surgery:
Other:
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