Responses of pineocytoma to radiation therapy and chemotherapy--report of two cases.

Pineal parenchymal tumors are so rare that their responses to radiation and/or chemotherapy are not well known. Two cases of pineocytoma, which responded well to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, are reported. A 45-year-old female received radiation therapy in a total dose of 5000 rads to the tumor. Three months after the completion of therapy, computed tomography (CT) showed complete disappearance of the tumor, and she remains well as of 1 year after treatment. The second patient, a 6-year-old girl, underwent four cycles of intravenous infusion of ACNU (25 mg) over 10 months. CT demonstrated complete disappearance of the tumor and, 18 months post-operatively, there was no evidence of tumor recurrence. The results in these two cases indicate that postoperative radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy should be strongly considered for patients with pineal parenchymal tumors.