title: Initial management of children with hypothalamic and thalamic tumors and the modifying role of neurofibromatosis-1.
abstract: Diencephalic gliomas may be grouped into 2 clinical categories. Optic pathway/hypothalamus gliomas (OPG) arise primarily from a slower-growing juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, and thalamic gliomas arise primarily from a fibrillary astrocytoma which can become clinically and histologically more aggressive. Children with OPG have an excellent long-term prognosis with a 10-year survival of over 85%. The major therapeutic challenge for these patients is to maximize their quality of life by preserving visual and endocrine function while minimizing treatment-related morbidity. Treatment is often initiated at diagnosis in infants and toddlers who have a major visual impairment or the diencephalic syndrome. The judicious application of chemotherapy may serve to forestall the need for radiotherapy or surgery. Children with neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) usually have a more indolent course. Tumors may grow more slowly or occasionally regress spontaneously. However, over 90% of children with OPG without NF-1 will require some form of therapy. Patients with thalamic gliomas present with a shorter history, often with hydrocephalus. Surgical intervention is often required to relieve intracranial pressure and establish the histologic identity of the tumor. Over 75% of these tumors will become locally aggressive. Current multimodality therapy is relatively ineffective. The bithalamic variant behaves similarly to a pontine glioma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, N.Y. 10128, USA. jallen@bethisraerlny.org
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007029:Hypothalamic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000473:pathology; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D020339:Optic Nerve Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013786:Thalamic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology