Standard Treatment The usual treatment is radiation therapy . There is some controversy about the possibility of surgical removal, although biopsy is recommended whenever possible to establish a diagnosis. A high dose of radiation is given to the tumor , with a lower dose to the brain and spinal cord.
Studies are exploring the role of chemotherapy for poorly differentiated pineal tumors, although well-differentiated tumors may be treated with simple local radiation therapy. Young children may be given chemotherapy to delay or modify the radiation treatments.
Two Year Survival Less than 50 percent
Optic Tract Glioma
These tumors grow along the optic tracts of the brain that carry visual impulses. They are low-grade and slow-growing astrocytomas that produce visual symptoms.
Standard Treatment Radiation therapy is the usual treatment for optic tract gliomas that are growing. Some tumors that do not appear to be growing and have no symptoms may be observed without treatment.
Chemotherapy has not been used as an adjuvant to radiation therapy as part of standard treatment, but the previous considerations about the risks of radiation in children under the age of three apply. The use of vincristine and other drugs of relatively low toxicity has enabled radiation therapy to be delayed in more than 80 percent of children and is being further evaluated.
