Brain Tumor

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, is the most aggressive pediatric brain tumor and incredibly difficult to treat since surgery isn’t feasible and recurrence is likely after radiation. This research may provide some insight.

A study from the University of Michigan Department of Neurosurgery and Rogel Cancer Center shows promising early results that a therapy combining cell-killing and immune-stimulating drugs are safe and effective in extending survival for patients with gliomas, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

For the first time, researchers have found a potential drug candidate that improved outcomes for patients with a type of childhood brain tumor for which there are no effective treatments. The compound, called ONC201, nearly doubled survival for patients with diffuse midline glioma or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, compared to previous patients.

An inter-departmental group of researchers at the Rogel Cancer Center received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to further research on radiosensitization, the process of making tumors more vulnerable to radiation treatment.

Cancerous brain tumor cells may be at ‘critical point’ between order and disorder. Large-scale coordination of brain tumor behavior may allow tumor cells to resist better against therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation, researchers say.