Are the Radiological and Molecular Features of Pediatric Medulloblastomas Valuable Prognostic Indicators? A 10-Year Retrospective Review in the Middle East

BACKGROUND: Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in the pediatric population. features should behave similarly, the 4 molecular subtypes are now widely accepted as a guide for the management and prognosis. The radiological features of medulloblastomas can predict the molecular subtype; thus, anticipating the subsequent disease progression. However, this has not been evaluated comprehensively. We aim to thoroughly study the association between the molecular subtypes and radiological features of medulloblastomas. Moreover, we aim to investigate the efficacy of this correlation with the use of progression-free survival and 5-year survival rates. - METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted for all histopathological confirmed medulloblastomas in pediatric patients (<16 years old) that were operated on in Kuwait over the past ten years (n [ 44). The radiological, histological, and molecular characteristics were justifiably evaluated and analyzed in our sample. RESULTS: The overall progression-free survival after one year was noticed among 27 cases (z44%) and the nonspecific 5-year survival was seen in 31 cases (z70%) after a 5-year follow-up. Sonic Hedgehog and Wingless had the best outcomes, while group 3 showed the worst outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings did not support the association between most of the typical magnetic resonance imaging characteristics and survival rate. We further established that Sonic Hedgehog and Wingless biological types have a better prognosis. There was no association observed between the radiographic features, specifically the location, and the molecular subtype.