Posterior fossa tumors in children, Histopathology &extent of excision as prognostic factors

The Posterior fossa is the commonest site of primary intracranial tumors in children, for the last two decades the over-all survival and 5-years progression-free survival of children with posterior fossa tumors (PFT) like Medulloblastoma& Ependymomas has been doubled due to the improvement in the diagnostic tools and the advances in the surgical techniques approaching total or near total resection. The aim of the study is to find the relation of histopathology and the extent of excision with mortality and survival. A total of twenty eight cases with Histologically (26 cases) and two cases radiologically (CT-scan and MRI) confirmed pediatric posterior fossa tumors treated in Erbil Teaching Hospital between ,Jan.2013 and Dec.2015 were included in the study As a result the twenty-eight pediatric patients were included in the study, mean age was (8 years),16 boys and 12 girls, mean follow-up period was 14 months,11 cases had Medulloblastoma (39%), 5 cases had Ependymoma (18%), 9 cases had Astrocytoma(32%) , 2 cases had Brainstem mass (7%) and one case had Choroid plexus papilloma (4%).Tumor resection was performed in 26 patients, Twenty cases had total resection (77%), and six Pts .had subtotal resection (23%), two cases without surgery During the follow-up period out of the 20 cases that had total resection nineteen are still alive(95%) and only one died (5%),six cases that had Subtotal resection; four of them are dead (67%) and only two cases are still alive(33%). Two cases that had no surgery both of them are dead (100%).Eleven cases of Medulloblastoma 8 of them had gross total resection and three of them had subtotal resection, 9 of them still alive (82%) and two are dead (18%). Nine Pts of Astrocytoma, 8 of them had total resection and one subtotal; eight of them are still .(alive (89%) and only one died (11% Five pts with Ependymoma, three had total resection and two had subtotal resection, three are still alive (60%) and two dead (40%). Two cases of Brainstem mass not operated and both are dead, One case of Choroid papilloma totally resected & still alive. In conclusion treatment of posterior fossa tumors in children with surgery yields long survival rates, children with gross total resection or a near total resection had better outcome. Histopathology subtypes of the tumors were associated with a favorable outcome for Astrocytoma which has less mortality and better survival rate than others