Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Nov 2006
Multicenter StudyNew primary neoplasms of the central nervous system in survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.
Subsequent primary neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS) have frequently been described as late events following childhood leukemia and brain tumors. However, the details of the dose-response relationships, the expression of excess risk over time, and the modifying effects of other host and treatment factors have not been well defined. ⋯ Exposure to radiation therapy is the most important risk factor for the development of a new CNS tumor in survivors of childhood cancers. The higher risk of subsequent glioma in children irradiated at a very young age may reflect greater susceptibility of the developing brain to radiation.