Pediatric high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme,
anaplastic astrocytoma, and diffuse intrinsic pontine
glioma, are difficult to treat and are associated with an extremely
poor prognosis. For several decades, radical and safe surgical
resection and radiotherapy have formed the cornerstone of
therapy for pediatric high-grade gliomas. However, for the majority
of affected children, these modalities only provide shortterm
clinical benefits and disease control, with the vast majority
of these patients experiencing disease progression within 2
years. The infiltrative nature and the intrinsic radio-resistance
of these tumors are believed to be the major contributors to
the dismal prognosis displayed by these tumors. There are no
effective chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of these
tumors, but many new treatment options are in active investigation.
The current belief is that multimodal therapy holds the
greatest promise for pediatric high-grade gliomas.
Keywords: Brain stem glioma; biological agents; chemotherapy; radiotherapy; high grade glioma
