Browsing by Author "Tep, Amanda C."

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    A National Cancer Database analysis of the patterns of care for meningeal melanocytoma
    (Future Science Group, 2021) Tep, Amanda C.; Kelly, Patrick D.; Scarpelli, Daphne B.; Bergue, Bailey; McClelland, Shearwood, III; Jaboin, Jerry J.; Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine
    Aim: To evaluate demographics, treatment patterns, radiotherapy utilization and patient outcomes in meningeal melanocytomas. Materials & methods: The National Cancer Database was queried for meningeal melanocytomas diagnosed in 2002-2016. The effects of demographic, clinical and treatment variables were determined via Kaplan-Meier log-rank and Cox regression analyses. Results: The median and 5-year overall survival were 57.46 months and 48%, respectively. Patients earning ≥$48K showed improved survival (p = 0.0319). Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were utilized in 37.7 and 9% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Income significantly affected survival. Surgery remains the mainstay approach. Radiotherapy was delivered in more than one-third of patients but did not impact survival. However, further analyses were limited by poor treatment modality information in the database.
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    Pediatric Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma: A National Database Inquiry on Current Treatment Approaches in the United States
    (Wiley, 2021) Scarpelli, Daphne B.; Yu, Yun; Tep, Amanda C.; Bergue, Bailey; Degnin, Catherine; Chen, Yiyi; McClelland, Shearwood, III; Jaboin, Jerry J.; Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine
    Background: Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs) account for <1% of primary brain tumors, occurring predominantly in children and young adults. Surgical resection serves as the primary treatment for PXAs, while radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy protocols remain poorly defined. Aim: This study aims to determine current care patterns utilized for pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) diagnosed with PXAs and their effect on overall survival. Methods: The United States National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried between 2004 and 2015 for pediatric patients (≤18 years) diagnosed with PXAs. Results: From the 224 qualifying patients, most patients proceeded with surgery only (78.1%), while 11.6% of patients received both adjuvant RT and chemotherapy. In the 2010-2015 cohort, patients with subtotal resection were associated with poorer prognosis than those with gross-total resection (hazard ratio = 17.44, 95% confidence interval = 2.10-144.90, p < .001). RT and chemotherapy recipients were similarly associated with poorer survival than those treated with surgery only, with p-values of <.001 and respective hazard ratios of 3.82 (95% confidence interval = 1.85-7.90) and 6.68 (95% confidence interval = 3.21-13.89). The key factors impacting the probability of RT delivery involved WHO grade (p < .001) and chemotherapy administration (p < .001). However, WHO grade alone did not significantly impact survival (p-value = .088). Conclusion: Maximally safe resection is the current treatment goal for patients with PXAs. RT and chemotherapy are poorly utilized but had a greater role in managing more aggressive cases of PXAs. Additional research focusing on the impact of adjuvant therapies on tumor progression is needed to better guide treatment decisions.