Genetics of medulloblastoma: clues for novel therapies.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Current medulloblastoma therapy entails surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The 5-year survival rate for patients ranges from 40 to 70%, with most survivors suffering from serious long-term treatment-related sequelae. Additional research on the molecular biology and genetics of medulloblastoma is needed to identify robust prognostic markers for disease-risk stratification, to improve current treatment regimes and to discover novel and more effective molecular-targeted therapies. Recent advances in molecular biology have led to the development of powerful tools for the study of medulloblastoma tumorigenesis, which have revealed new insights into the molecular underpinnings of this disease. Here we discuss the signaling pathway alterations implicated in medulloblastoma pathogenesis, the techniques used in molecular profiling of these tumors and recent molecular subclassification schemes. Particular emphasis is given to the identification of novel molecular targets for less toxic, patient-tailored therapeutic approaches.
Onvani
Sara
S
The Hospital for Sick Children, Ontario, Canada.
Etame
Arnold B
AB
Smith
Christian A
CA
Rutka
James T
JT
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics