Pontine Glioma-Reply

Abstract

In Reply.— Dr. Milhorat's case report is indeed of great interest, and it is unfortunate that the finding of a cystic astrocytoma, such as his patient had, is so extremely rare when one looks at the usual course and classification of brain stem tumors in children. 1 The purpose of our article was not to add confusion to the diagnosis and treatment of this very grave disease, but merely to point, with some degree of hope, to the fact that other treatments are being developed at major cancer centers that some day may be combined with the initial treatment of surgery and radiation therapy, which to date have offered only palliative treatment for the overwhelming majority of patients with solid astrocytomas of the brain stem. The patient that we reported did have computerized transaxial tomography (CTT) with intravenous contrast performed at our institution. It disclosed a large, solid mass; however,