OpenAccessGovernment.org: Current and future therapy for BRAF-mutant pediatric glioma
Professor Peter J. Houghton from the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute discusses new approaches to pediatric cancer treatment, specifically for BRAF-mutant pediatric glioma.
Low-grade glioma (LGG) is the most frequently diagnosed brain tumor in children, and although five and ten-year survival is quite high, this does not reveal the toxicity of current therapies. Conventional treatment includes intensive chemo-radiation therapy that can lead to cognitive decline, malignant transformation, and other life-debilitating or -threatening sequelae. (1) The 15-year incidence of adverse outcomes such as blindness, hearing loss, obesity, and hormonal imbalance is 18%, 22%, 53%, and approximately 25%, respectively. Among survivors assessed for intellectual function, 34% had an intelligence quotient (IQ) below average. Treatment-resistant progressive disease is the most common cause of death. (2)