Referral patterns of childhood brain tumors in the state of Connecticut.

Data from the Connecticut Tumor Registry (1968-1979) were analyzed to determined whether referral patterns influenced survival rates in children with brain tumors. Two-hundred-seventy-eight children with brain tumors were identified. Less that one-third of the children received all their treatment at university cancer centers. An actuarial analysis of survival rates revealed that children with medulloblastomas treated solely at university cancer centers had projected five-year survival rates of 7.4%. Children with medulloblastomas treated solely at community hospitals had projected five-year survival rates of 29%. Children with brainstem gliomas treated at university cancer centers had projected five-year survival rates of 40% whereas of those children treated at community hospitals only one patient was alive at 13 months. No major differences in survival were identified among children with other tumor types. These data suggest that children with certain types of brain tumors may fare better when treated at university cancer centers.