Surgical outcomes and follow-up results of 53 pediatric craniopharyngioma cases: a single-center study.

Objective: Craniopharyngiomas are locally invasive neoplasms, and they cause potential lifelong morbidity because of their tendency for local recurrence. Despite advancements in endoscopic techniques, gross-total resection (GTR) of tumors with invasion or adhesion to important surrounding anatomical structures is extremely difficult. The authors present a single-center study that evaluated the impact of the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) on the surgical outcomes of pediatric craniopharyngiomas, the factors affecting the resection rate, and recurrence.
Methods: A total of 44 pediatric patients (age ≤ 18 years) who were treated via the EEA for craniopharyngioma from August 1997 to June 2022, as well as their 53 operations, were included in this study. The preoperative radiological configuration and surgical data of these cases were assessed. Also, preoperative and postoperative clinical (endocrinologic, neurological, and ophthalmological), hypothalamic, physical and social development, and neurocognitive assessment data were described.
Results: In total, 37 cases (69.8%) had no history of operation beforehand. The most common symptoms at presentation were endocrine disturbances (98.1%), headache without vomiting (84.3%), and visual disturbance (51%). Cases were classified as infrasellar (1.9%), sellar (32.1%), sellar-suprasellar (52.8%), and suprasellar (13.2%) localization. GTR was achieved in 34/53 cases (64.1%). The rate of GTR was higher in infrasellar and sellar tumors compared with sellar-suprasellar and suprasellar tumors (p = 0.003), and preoperative hypothalamic involvement was associated with lower likelihood of GTR (p = 0.024). Moreover, with experience, the rate of GTR increased (p = 0.037). Postoperative complications, other than endocrine impairment, occurred in 10/53 cases (18.9%). The mean duration of follow-up was 53.57 months. At follow-up, 21/53 (39.6%) cases presented with tumor recurrence. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 48.5%. There was a statistically significant difference between the GTR and other-than-GTR groups in terms of PFS (p < 0.001). According to univariate analysis, smaller tumor (p = 0.017), infrasellar and sellar localization (p = 0.031), and GTR (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased rate of recurrence. Also, there was a statistically significant association between the recurrence rate and adhesion strength of the tumor (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: This retrospective cohort study revealed surgical indications for EEA, as well as factors affecting the resection rate, recurrence, and quality of life during the follow-up period of the included cases. The authors believe that GTR should be the goal for craniopharyngioma treatment, but the authors' treatment approach was to provide a balance between radical surgery with maximum safety and adjuvant treatment for long-term disease control.