Articles related to NEURO-ONCOLOGY

A phase 3 randomized trial of 449 children with intracranial ependymoma found no significant event-free or overall survival benefit from adding maintenance chemotherapy after radiation, while molecular markers — particularly 1q gain and 6q loss — identified a high-risk posterior fossa subgroup with substantially worse outcomes.

The findings provide significant conceptual advances into cancer neuroscience and establish therapeutic avenues that are distinct from present amyloid-lowering strategies, aiming at degrading the existing amyloid plaques.

“Although historically grouped together, viral-associated PCNSL subtypes are biologically distinct diseases. Each escapes immune control through a different mechanism, creating fundamentally different tumor microenvironments.” – Melinda Burgess, Researcher from the Department of Haematology at Princess Alexandra Hospital

In neuro-oncology, where many of the therapies are expensive, toxic, and difficult to access, the idea that a low-cost, generic medication might help slow a tumor like glioblastoma is extremely attractive.

Long-term follow-up data demonstrate a significant overall survival advantage with combination therapy, showing a hazard ratio of 0.54 (95% CI 0.31-0.95) for radiation plus temozolomide versus radiation alone in grade II gliomas.