Will high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation supplant cranio-spinal irradiation in young children treated for medulloblastoma?

Cranio-spinal irradiation is the gold standard treatment used in non metastatic medulloblastoma as prophylaxis against central nervous system (CNS) metastases. However, given the severe late effects caused by this procedure in children under 3 years of age, most pediatric oncologists are currently treating these patients with conventional chemotherapy in order to postpone or even avoid irradiation. In the French Society of Pediatric Oncology ('FOP) this attitude has been adopted since 1987.