Brainstem gliomas in children and adults.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to determine if recent advances in diagnostic and treatment modalities result in improvement in the pattern of care of brainstem gliomas.


RESULTS
New MRI techniques may contribute to differential diagnosis and aid neurosurgeons in removing resectable brainstem tumors. A better radiological analysis of these heterogeneous tumors improves their classification and helps to better distinguish prognosis subgroups. However, biopsy remains indicated in many contrast enhancing brainstem masses in adults because of the great variety of differential diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Diffuse brainstem glioma is the most common subtype of brainstem tumor and remains a devastating malignancy in children. Conventional radiotherapy is the standard of care and chemotherapy has been disappointing to date. Given the lack of efficacy of conventional drugs, a better understanding of the biology of this tumor is the key to more targeted therapy.
Service de Neurologie Mazarin, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière - APHP, Département d'Oncologie Pédiatrique, Institut Curie and Faculté de Médecine Paris V René Descartes, France. florence.laigle-donadey@psl.aphp.fr
Florence
F
Laigle-Donadey
François
F
Doz
Jean-Yves
JY
Delattre
D000328:Adult; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents