Childhood craniopharyngioma: Vancouver experience

Abstract

To present our institution's experience in the management of childhood craniopharyngioma since 1982. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma at our children's hospital from its opening in 1982 through to 2003. One neuroradiologist systematically reviewed the neuroimaging. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the progression-free survival and the overall survival from the time of the first definitive intervention. Most children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma are long-term survivors. Survivors suffer from multiple deficits in the long term. A conservative surgical and radiotherapeutic approach and avoiding interventions that are known to cause severe morbidity may minimize these. The use of intracystic bleomycin is a strategy that allows the delay of more aggressive therapies in select patients.