Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep 1;84(1):46-51.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2011.10.067. Epub 2012 May 18.

Visual outcomes in pediatric optic pathway glioma after conformal radiation therapy

Richard M Awdeh  1 , Erin N Kiehna, Richard D Drewry, Natalie C Kerr, Barrett G Haik, Shengjie Wu, Xiaoping Xiong, Thomas E Merchant
Affiliations

Visual outcomes in pediatric optic pathway glioma after conformal radiation therapy

Richard M Awdeh et al. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. .

Abstract

Purpose: To assess visual outcome prospectively after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) in children with optic pathway glioma.

Methods and materials: We used CRT to treat optic pathway glioma in 20 children (median age 9.3 years) between July 1997 and January 2002. We assessed changes in visual acuity using the logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution after CRT (54 Gy) with a median follow-up of 24 months. We included in the study children who underwent chemotherapy (8 patients) or resection (9 patients) before CRT.

Results: Surgery played a major role in determining baseline (pre-CRT) visual acuity (better eye: P=.0431; worse eye: P=.0032). The visual acuity in the worse eye was diminished at baseline (borderline significant) with administration of chemotherapy before CRT (P=.0726) and progression of disease prior to receiving CRT (P=.0220). In the worse eye, improvement in visual acuity was observed in patients who did not receive chemotherapy before CRT (P=.0289).

Conclusions: Children with optic pathway glioma initially treated with chemotherapy prior to receiving radiation therapy have decreased visual acuity compared with those who receive primary radiation therapy. Limited surgery before radiation therapy may have a role in preserving visual acuity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution [logMAR]) after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) as a function of time for patients who had or had not received chemotherapy before CRT. Changes in visual acuity are plotted separately for the best and worse eye. Visual acuity was measured up to 6 months before patients received CRT, at the start of CRT (time 0), and at 3- to 6-month intervals after CRT.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution [logMAR]) after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) as a function of time for patients who had or had not undergone surgical resection of the tumor before CRT. Changes in visual acuity are plotted separately for the best and worse eye. Visual acuity was measured up to 6 months before patients received CRT, at the start of CRT (time 0), and at 3- to 6-month intervals after CRT.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution [logMAR]) after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) as a function of time for patients who had or had not experienced symptomatic progression before CRT. Changes in visual acuity are plotted separately for the best and worse eye. Visual acuity was measured up to 6 months before patients received CRT, at the start of CRT (time 0), and at 3- to 6-month intervals after CRT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jenkin D, Angyalfi S, Becker L, et al. Optic glioma in children: surveillance, resection, or irradiation? Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1993;25:215–225. - PubMed
    1. Grabenbauer GG, Schuchardt U, Buchfelder M, et al. Radiation therapy of optico-hypothalamic gliomas (OHG)—radiographic response, vision and late toxicity. Radiother Oncol. 2000;54:239–245. - PubMed
    1. Pierce SM, Barnes PD, Loeffler JS, et al. Definitive radiation therapy in the management of symptomatic patients with optic glioma. Survival and long-term effects. Cancer. 1990;65:45–52. - PubMed
    1. Collet-Solberg PF, Sernyak H, Satin-Smith M, et al. Endocrine outcome in long-term survivors of low-grade hypothalamic/chiasmatic glioma. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1997;47:79–85. - PubMed
    1. Janss AJ, Grundy R, Cnaan A, et al. Optic pathway and hypothalamic/chiasmatic gliomas in children younger than age 5 years with a 6-year follow-up. Cancer. 1995;75:1051–1059. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances