Adult Medulloblastoma: Updates on Current Management and Future Perspectives

Simple Summary Adult medulloblastoma is an extremely rare tumor of the central nervous system. Standard multimodal treatment, comprising maximal safe surgical resection followed by craniospinal radiotherapy and multi-agent chemotherapy, can improve the prognosis of this disease, producing, however, important acute and long-term toxicities. Herein, we review the state of the art for adult medulloblastoma diagnosis and treatment, presenting novel molecular advances and their therapeutic implications and discussing the central role of hub centers to guarantee the highest quality of care and a better overall outcome for this rare tumor. Medulloblastoma (MB) is a malignant embryonal tumor of the posterior fossa belonging to the family of primitive neuro-ectodermic tumors (PNET). MB generally occurs in pediatric age, but in 14-30% of cases, it affects the adults, mostly below the age of 40, with an incidence of 0.6 per million per year, representing about 0.4-1% of tumors of the nervous system in adults. Unlike pediatric MB, robust prospective trials are scarce for the post-puberal population, due to the low incidence of MB in adolescent and young adults. Thus, current MB treatments for older patients are largely extrapolated from the pediatric experience, but the transferability and applicability of these paradigms to adults remain an open question. Adult MB is distinct from MB in children from a molecular and clinical perspective. Here, we review the management of adult MB, reporting the recent published literature focusing on the effectiveness of upfront chemotherapy, the development of targeted therapies, and the potential role of a reduced dose of radiotherapy in treating this disease.

Automated summary

Adult medulloblastoma is a rare tumor of the central nervous system with treatment primarily based on pediatric experience. Novel molecular advances and hub centers play a crucial role in improving the overall outcome of this disease.