Comparison of the clinical features and treatment outcomes of pilocytic astrocytoma in pediatric and adult patients

Purpose Pilocytic astrocytoma is a slow-growing tumor that predominantly develops in children, but has a broad age spectrum. A notable characteristic of pilocytic astrocytoma is that the tumor arises in diverse locations and the clinical course is not always benign. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the clinical spectrum of the disease and analyze the relevant prognostic factors. Methods Demographic and treatment-related factors were retrospectively reviewed in a cohort of 254 patients with histologically confirmed pilocytic astrocytoma. Clinical features were compared between the pediatric group ( N = 208; age