Recurrent ependymoma treated with high-dose tamoxifen in a peripubertal female: Impact on tumor and the pituitary-ovarian axis.

Due to high rates of recurrence, the prognosis of childhood ependymoma remains guarded. Anecdotal evidence suggests that tamoxifen may have a role in the treatment of these tumors. We present a case of a child with recurrent ependymoma treated with tamoxifen who showed tumor regression on two separate occasions. However, treatment with tamoxifen resulted in the development of large ovarian cysts associated with supraphysiological plasma concentrations of estradiol. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.