Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialCurrent neurosurgical management and the impact of the extent of resection in the treatment of malignant gliomas of childhood: a report of the Children's Cancer Group trial no. CCG-945.
One hundred seventy-two children with high-grade astrocytomas were treated by members of the Children's Cancer Group in a prospective randomized trial designed to evaluate the role of two chemotherapy regimens. Seventy-six percent of the patients (131 children) in whom a diagnosis of either anaplastic astrocytoma or glioblastoma multiforme was confirmed by central pathological review are the subject of this report. ⋯ The demonstration of a survival advantage provided by radical resection should prompt neurosurgeons to treat malignant pediatric astrocytomas with aggressive surgical resection prior to initiation of radiotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy.