Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Intracranial Ependymoma in Children: Frequency, Molecular Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcome in the Prospective HIT Series

Abstract

Background Data on frequency, clinical presentation, and outcome of primary metastatic intracranial ependymoma in children are scarce. Patients and Methods Prospective data on patients younger than 21 years with metastatic intracranial ependymoma at first diagnosis, registered from 2001 to 2014 in the HIT‐2000 trial and the HIT‐2000 Interim Registry, were analyzed. Results Of 453 registered patients with intracranial ependymoma and central neuropathology review, initial staging included spinal magnetic resonance imaging in all patients and lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in 402 patients. Ten patients (2.2%) had metastatic disease, including three with microscopic CSF positivity only (M1 metastasis stage, 0.7% of patients with CSF staging). Location of the primary tumor was supratentorial in four patients (all supratentorial RELA‐fused ependymoma [ST‐EPN‐RELA]) and within the posterior fossa in five patients (posterior fossa ependymoma type A [PF‐EPN‐A], n = 4; posterior fossa ependymoma not further classifiable, n = 1), and multifocal in one patient. All four patients with ST‐EPN‐RELA were alive in first or second complete remission (CR) 7.5–12.3 years after diagnosis. All four patients with macroscopic metastases of posterior fossa or multifocal ependymoma died. Three patients with initial M1 stage (ST‐EPN‐RELA, n = 1; PF‐EPN‐A, n = 2) received chemotherapy and local irradiation and were alive in second or third CR 3.0–9.7 years after diagnosis. Progression‐free and overall survival of the entire cohort at 5 years was 13% (±6%), and 58% (±16%), respectively. Conclusion Primary metastatic disease is rare in children with intracranial ependymoma. Prognosis may depend on molecular subgroup and extent of dissemination, and relevance of CSF analysis for initial staging remains to be clarified. Implications for Practice Childhood ependymoma presenting with metastasis at first diagnosis is very rare with a frequency of 2.4% in this population‐based, well‐characterized cohort. Detection of microscopic metastases in the cerebrospinal fluid was extremely rare, and impact on prognosis and respective treatment decision on irradiation field remains unclear. Initial metastatic presentation occurs in both supratentorial RELA‐fused ependymoma and posterior fossa ependymoma. Prognosis may differ according to extent of metastasis and biological subgroup, with poor prognosis in diffusely spread metastatic posterior fossa ependymoma even after combination therapy with both intensive chemotherapy and craniospinal irradiation, which may help to guide individual therapeutic decisions for future patients.

Outcome after treatment of pediatric supratentorial ependymoma: long-term follow-up of a single consecutive institutional series of 26 patients

“…However, since the age distribution among children with PFE and STE is different, these entities may actually represent different biological entities. Recent studies support this view by differentiating between molecular subgroups of ependymoma [15,16]. Unfortunately, we did not have such data for our patients from the present cohort.…”

Pediatric Extraspinal Sacrococcygeal Ependymoma: Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

“…[ 6 ] Pelvic ependymomas are usually more extensive at diagnosis and may be associated with bowel or bladder dysfunction, or more rarely, with signs or symptoms of neuropathy, such as saddle anesthesia [ 4 , 45 , 46 ]. Despite the greater prevalence of low-grade histological subtypes, extra CNS ependymomas are more frequently metastatic at onset than their intra-axial counterpart: approximately 15% of pediatric cases reported in literature in the past 35 years have metastases at onset, mostly localized to the inguinal lymph nodes [ 4 , 5 , 47 ]. This apparent discrepancy can be explained by easier access to blood and lymphatic vessels due to the absence of the blood brain barrier [ 4 ].…”

Pediatric Brain Tumors: From Modern Classification System to Current Principles of Management

“…Spinal cord tumors involve ascending or descending tracts and manifest as specific anatomical lesions. Very rarely, CSF seeding may accompany both infratentorial and supratentorial ependymomas [56].…”