Background: Hypothalamic obesity has major impact on prognosis and quality of life (QoL) in childhood craniopharyngioma. Patients and methods: For this study, 120 patients were prospectively recruited during 2001 and 2007 and evaluated after 3 years of follow-up (KRANIOPHARYNGEOM 2000). Body mass index (BMI) and QoL at diagnosis and 36 months after diagnosis were analysed based on the reference assessment of tumour localisation and post-surgical hypothalamic lesions. Treatment was analysed based on the neurosurgical strategy of 50 participating neurosurgical centres, the centre size based on the patient load. Results: BMI SDS at diagnosis was similar in patients with or without hypothalamic involvement. Surgical lesions of anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas were associated with higher increase in BMI SDS during 36 months post-diagnosis compared with patients without or only anterior lesion (C1.8 BMISD, PZ0.033, C2.1 BMISD; PZ0.011), negative impact on QoL in patients with posterior hypothalamic lesions. Surgical strategies varied among the 50 neurosurgical centres (three largesized, 24 middle-sized and 23 small-sized centres). Patients treated in small-sized centres presented with a higher rate of hypothalamic involvement compared with those treated in the middle-and largesized centres. Treatment in large-sized centres was less radical, and the rates of complete resection and hypothalamic surgical lesions were lower in large-sized centres than those of the middle-and smallsized centres. However, a multivariable analysis showed that pre-operative hypothalamic involvement was the only independent risk factor for severe obesity (PZ0.002). Conclusions: Radical neurosurgical strategies leading to posterior hypothalamic lesions are not recommended due to the potential to exacerbate hypothalamic obesity and impaired QoL. Treatment should be confined to experienced multidisciplinary teams.

This manuscript describes the experience from registration until randomisation for a cohort of 2260 patients with osteosarcoma who joined the EURAMOS-1 trial. This includes pre-operative chemotherapy and surgery. It sets out the practical issues in collaboration and in achieving randomisation.

Two separate groups of GCTs with distinct clinical features relevant for differential diagnosis and the diagnostic assessment can be distinguished. This observation correlates with genetic studies that reveal different genetic changes in childhood and adolescence GCTs. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of germ cell and GCT development that account for the age- and sex-dependent clinical manifestation.

No abstract

No abstract