Posterior Fossa Tumours in the First Year of Life: A Two-Centre Retrospective Study
Stefania Picariello,
Pietro Spennato,
Jonathan Roth,
Nir Shimony,
Alessandra Marini,
Lucia De Martino,
Giancarlo Nicosia,
Giuseppe Mirone,
Maria Serena De Santi,
Fabio Savoia,
Maria Elena Errico,
Lucia Quaglietta,
Shlomi Costantini,
Giuseppe Cinalli
Affiliations
Stefania Picariello
Neuro-Oncology Unit, Department of Paediatric Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Pietro Spennato
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Jonathan Roth
Departments of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dana Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel
Nir Shimony
Departments of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dana Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel
Alessandra Marini
Department of Neurosurgery, Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia di Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini 3, 06129 Perugia, Italy
Lucia De Martino
Neuro-Oncology Unit, Department of Paediatric Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Giancarlo Nicosia
Neurosurgery Unit, San Pio Hospital, Via Pacevecchia 53, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Giuseppe Mirone
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Maria Serena De Santi
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Fabio Savoia
Childhood Cancer Registry of Campania, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via della Croce Rossa 8, 80129 Naples, Italy
Maria Elena Errico
Department of Pathology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Posillipo 226, 80123 Naples, Italy
Lucia Quaglietta
Neuro-Oncology Unit, Department of Paediatric Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Shlomi Costantini
Departments of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dana Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel
Giuseppe Cinalli
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80129 Naples, Italy
Posterior fossa tumours (PFTs) in infants are very rare, and information on these tumours is scarce in the literature. This retrospective study reports their pathological characteristics and describes surgical aspects and treatment outcomes. A two-centre cohort of infants with PFTs treated from 2007 to 2018 was retrospectively reviewed. Patient characteristics, clinical, and treatment data were reviewed. Survival curves for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were generated. Thirty-three infants were retrieved. There were 11 low grade and 22 high-grade tumours. The most common presenting symptom was intracranial hypertension. Fifteen children out of thirty-three progressed. Five-year PFS was significantly lower in children with high-grade tumours (38.3%) than those with low-grade tumours (69.3%), p = 0.030. High-grade pathology was the only predictor of progression (HR 3.7, 95% CI 1.1–13.31), p = 0.045. Fourteen children with high-grade tumours died, with a 5-year OS of 55.25%. PFTs in children below one year of age still represent a unique challenge. Infants with high-grade tumours display the worst outcomes and the lowest survival, indicating that more effective strategies are needed.