MBRS-44. TIME, PATTERN AND OUTCOME OF MEDULLOBLASTOMA RELAPSE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH TUMOUR BIOLOGY AT DIAGNOSIS AND UPFRONT THERAPY: A COHORT STUDY Open Access

Disease relapse occurs in ~30% of children with medulloblastoma, and is fatal in the majority. We sought to establish whether clinico-molecular characteristics at diagnosis are associated with the nature of relapse, subsequent disease-course, and whether these associations could inform clinical management. We surveyed the clinical features of medulloblastoma relapse (time-to-relapse, pattern-of-relapse, time-to-death and overall outcome) in 247 centrally-reviewed patients who relapsed following standard-upfront-therapies. We related these to clinico-molecular features at diagnosis, prognostic factors, and first-line/relapse treatment. Patients who received upfront craniospinal irradiation (CSI-treated) displayed prolonged time-to-relapse compared to CSI naïve patients (p<0.001). Similarly, in CSI naïve patients, CSI at relapse, alongside re-resection and desmoplastic/nodular histology, were associated with long-term survival. In CSI-treated patients, the nature of relapse was subgroup-dependent. Local-nodular relapse patterns were enriched in relapsed-MB_SHH patients (p<0.001), but a notable proportion (65%) also acquired distant-diffuse disease (p=0.010). MB_Group3 relapsed quickly (median 1.3 years), MB_Group4 slowly (median 2.1 years). Distant-disease was prevalent in MB_Group3 and MB_Group4 relapses (90%) but, in contrast to relapsed-MB_SHH, nodular and diffuse patterns of distant-disease were observed. Furthermore, nodular disease was associated with a prolonged time-to-death post-relapse (p=0.006). Investigation of second-generation MB_Group3/4 subtypes refined our understanding of heterogeneous relapse characteristics. Subtype VIII had prolonged time-to-relapse; subtype II a rapid time-to-death. Subtypes II/III/VIII developed a significantly higher incidence of distant-disease at relapse, whereas subtypes V/VII did not. The nature of medulloblastoma relapse are biology and therapy-dependent, providing immediate translational opportunities for improved disease management through biology-directed surveillance, post-relapse prognostication and risk-stratified selection of second-line treatment.