ICR researchers identify new treatment route for rare set of childhood brain tumors

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have identified a new treatment route for a rare set of childhood brain tumors called gliomatosis cerebri.

Published in the journal Neuro-Oncology and funded by the Rudy A Menon Foundation and the Ollie Young Foundation, the decade-long study could lead to more effective treatments for treating this set of conditions.

Affecting about 100 people each year in the United States, gliomatosis cerebri is a very aggressive form of glioma that appears like a spider's web of cancerous threads that spread deep into the brain.

No chemotherapy has proven effective in treating this form of brain cancer, which is almost impossible to remove with surgery and difficult to treat with radiation therapy.

Carried out by the High-Grade Gliomas Working Group on behalf of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology Europe, researchers collected brain tissue samples to carry out the study involving 104 children and adolescents living with the disease .

The team used tumor profiling to understand which molecules cause cancer and were able to identify a molecular profile for gliomatosis cerebri.

The results revealed two subtypes called pedHGG_RTK2A/B and pedHGG_A/B, both associated with pediatric gliomatosis cerebri.

Additionally, the researchers revealed that mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor protein and BCOR gene, as well as rearrangements of chromosome 6, were the most common genetic characteristics.

The study results could help researchers identify potential drug targets for this disease.

Chris Jones, Professor of Childhood Brain Tumor Biology at ICR, commented: “We have demonstrated that gliomatosis cerebri tumors behave very aggressively and differ from other types of gliomas found in children.

“Contrary to previous research, the study showed that there are distinct molecular and clinical features of gliomatosis cerebri, providing evidence that it should be reconsidered as a separate entity.”

Rudy A Menon Foundation co-founder Vidhu Menon said this “research has led to significant progress” and “will become a cornerstone for better understanding and finding effective treatments for this disease worldwide.” 'global scale'.