Chemotherapy for Children with Medulloblastoma

The systematic review evaluated the impact of chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy (RT) on event-free survival (EFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) in children with medulloblastoma. The meta-analysis included 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1080 children. Results showed a potential benefit of chemotherapy in EFS/DFS when disease progression during therapy was not considered an event, but this was not confirmed when it was included. No clear evidence of a difference in OS was found between treatment arms. Adverse effects such as severe infections and fever/neutropenia were more common in the chemotherapy group. The review concluded that while a benefit of chemotherapy cannot be excluded, definitive conclusions could not be drawn due to various complicating factors, including study biases and changes in treatment protocols over time. More high-quality research is needed.