Unclear standard of care for pediatric high grade glioma patients

Excerpt

Pediatric high grade gliomas (HGGs) are aggressive tumors with an unclear standard of care. However, there are many agreed upon treatment standards. The amount of surgical resection is one important clinical prognostic factor identified [1, 2]. The Children’s Cancer Group (CCG) study-945 revealed children who underwent a surgical resection of 90 % or greater had 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 35 + 7 % compared to 17 + 4 % in patients who did not [1]. Every attempt should be made at a complete surgical resection when safe to maximize survival. Also, for most children greater than 3 years old, focal radiotherapy has become standard. One of the main unanswered questions regarding the standard of care, however, surrounds the uncertain role of chemotherapy. …