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Study Offers Comprehensive Evaluation of Survival Parameters for Pediatric CNS Tumors

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 4, 2025.

MONDAY, Aug. 4, 2025 -- The survival probabilities of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors in Europe have been explored in a study published in the August issue of The Lancet Oncology.

Raoull Hoogendijk, Ph.D., from the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a population-based study to estimate survival outcomes across Europe for pediatric CNS tumors. Survival data were analyzed from children younger than 15 years with a CNS tumor across 31 European countries. Observed survival was estimated for 2008 to 2013 via the actuarial method (13,782 tumor cases). Cure fraction was estimated through a mixture cure model assuming constant long-term mortality from other causes for 1998 to 2013 (30,392 children).

The researchers found that the five-year observed survival was 72, 92, 47, 24, and 64 percent for ependymomas, low-grade gliomas, high-grade gliomas, high-grade gliomas excluding gliomas not otherwise specified, and medulloblastomas, respectively. The largest absolute increase in cure fraction during the study period was seen for ependymomas (65 percent in 1998-2001 to 79 percent in 2010-2013), while low-grade gliomas increased from 89 to 95 percent, high-grade gliomas from 44 to 50 percent, and medulloblastomas from 52 to 56 percent. The highest estimated 10- and 15-year survival rates were seen for low-grade gliomas (90.6 and 88.5 percent, respectively), while the lowest survival rates were seen for high-grade gliomas excluding gliomas not otherwise specified (20.5 and 19.0 percent, respectively).

"Survival for children with high-grade gliomas remains far too low," coauthor Eelco Hoving, M.D., Ph.D., also from the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, said in a statement. "Our findings highlight the urgent need for better treatments for these -- and all -- children with brain tumors."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2025

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