Brain Stem Gliomas medical therapy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujit Routray, M.D. [2]
Overview
Medical therapy
The treatment is significantly influenced by tumor type, morphology and location. Radiation and chemotherapy are a key part of the treatment regime. For treatment purposes, patients are grouped as having newly diagnosed or recurrent disease.[1][2]
The overview of the treatment regime is as follows:
Newly diagnosed brainstem gliomas
Diffuse brainstem gliomas
Focal brainstem gliomas
- Surgical resection (with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy)
- Observation (with or without cerebrospinal fluid diversion)
- Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and alternative approaches for inoperable focal or low-grade tumors
Recurrent brainstem gliomas
Diffuse brainstem gliomas
Focal brainstem gliomas
Standard medical therapy regime
Newly diagnosed brainstem gliomas
The standard treatment options for newly diagnosed diffuse brainstem gliomas include the following:
1) Radiation therapy.
- Conventional treatment for children with diffuse brainstem glioma is radiation therapy. The conventional dose of radiation ranges between 54 Gy and 60 Gy given locally to the primary tumor site in single daily fractions. Such treatment will result in transient benefit for most patients, but more than 90% of patients will die within 18 months of diagnosis.
Radiation-induced changes may occur a few months after the completion of radiation therapy and may mimic tumor progression. When considering the efficacy of additional treatment, care needs to be taken to separate radiation-induced change from progressive disease.
The efficacy of hyperfractionated and hypofractionated radiation therapy and radiosensitizers have not demonstrated improved outcomes using these radiation techniques.
- Hyperfractionated (twice daily) radiation therapy techniques have been used to deliver a higher dose, and studies using doses as high as 78 Gy have been completed. Evidence demonstrates that these increased radiation therapy doses do not improve the duration or rate of survival for patients with DIPGs, whether given alone or in combination with chemotherapy.
- Hypofractionated radiation therapy results in survival rates comparable to conventional fractionated radiation therapy techniques, possibly with less treatment burden.
- Studies evaluating the efficacy of various radiosensitizers as a means for enhancing the therapeutic effect of radiation therapy have been undertaken but to date have failed to show any significant improvement in outcome.
Chemotherapy only (infants)
Similar to the treatment of other brain tumors, radiation therapy is often omitted for infants with DIPGs, and chemotherapy-only approaches are utilized. However, published data supporting the utility of this approach is lacking.
References
- ↑ Treatment of brainstem gliomas. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/types/brain/hp/child-glioma-treatment-pdq#section/_45
- ↑ Rx of Brainstem gliomas. Dr Yuranga Weerakkody and Dr Frank Gaillard et al. Radiopaedia 2015. http://radiopaedia.org/articles/brainstem-glioma