LINC-20. INFANT BRAIN TUMOURS IN HONG KONG

OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical features, pathology and survivals of infants with brain tumours. METHODS: A retrospective review of the clinical findings, pathology, treatment and survival outcome in infants with brain tumours. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2018, there were 507 children (<18 years) who were diagnosed to have brain tumours in Hong Kong. The patients were treated in five public hospitals. The clinical data were collected by the Hong Kong Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Study Group, and were cross-checked with the data of the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. In this group of patients, there were 36 infants (birth to 365 days of age) i.e. 7.1% of the whole group. Both benign and malignant brain tumours were included, while non-neoplastic lesions were excluded. On average, there was 1.89 cases per year. The pathology of the tumours were astrocytoma (n= 8), medulloblastoma (n=6), germ cell tumour (n=6), PNET (n=5), ATRT (n=4), choroid plexus tumours (n=3), ependymoma (n=2), craniopharyngioma (n= 1) and ganglioglioma (n= 1). These infants were treated according to their clinical conditions and prognosis, with operation, chemotherapy or both. Radiotherapy was withheld or postponed to older age. Some patients only received palliative care due to the poor neurological status or prognosis. The overall survivals of children younger than 18 years old vs infants were 67.3% (±2.3) vs 50.5%(±9.2) respectively, while the event free survivals were 64.4% (±2.4) and 43.5% (±8.8) at 10-years respectively. CONCLUSION: Infants with brain tumours have different pathology and inferior outcome.