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Study on pediatric brain stem tumors

Date:
December 3, 2013
Source:
Children's National Medical Center
Summary:
A new study has found, for the first time, two distinct subtypes in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas.
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Children's National researcher, Javad Nazarian, PhD, authored a new study entitled, "Comparative Multidimensional Molecular Analyses of Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Reveals Distinct Molecular Subtypes." The study found, for the first time, two distinct subtypes in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG). It was published online in Acta Neuropathologica, a leading journal on pathology and pathogenesis of neurological disease.

This project was the first time researchers conducted a detailed analysis of proteome, transcriptome, methylome, and Histone H3 mutation profiles of DIPG specimens. One of the major results of the study was the discovery of two distinct subtypes of DIPGs and the identification of potential molecular pathways that lead to poorer overall survival of patients with histone 3 mutations.

DIPG is an aggressive tumor of the brainstem that cannot be surgically removed and is typically not biopsied due to the invasiveness of the procedure. For these reasons, a lack of tissue samples have contributed to a limited understanding of the tumor biology and hindered the development of treatments to improve survival rates.

"Pediatric DIPGs are almost always lethal, and most children do not survive beyond 18 months with this type of tumor," said Dr. Nazarian. "Our results have shown that a multidimensional molecular analysis can contribute to our understanding of DIPGs and guide future research for developing therapeutics."

Further study and a larger cohort of DIPG specimens are needed to identify all possible subtypes of DIPGs.


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Materials provided by Children's National Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Amanda M. Saratsis, Madhuri Kambhampati, Kendall Snyder, Sridevi Yadavilli, Joseph M. Devaney, Brennan Harmon, Jordan Hall, Eric H. Raabe, Ping An, Melanie Weingart, Brian R. Rood, Suresh N. Magge, Tobey J. MacDonald, Roger J. Packer, Javad Nazarian. Comparative multidimensional molecular analyses of pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma reveals distinct molecular subtypes. Acta Neuropathologica, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s00401-013-1218-2

Cite This Page:

Children's National Medical Center. "Study on pediatric brain stem tumors." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 December 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131203191201.htm>.
Children's National Medical Center. (2013, December 3). Study on pediatric brain stem tumors. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131203191201.htm
Children's National Medical Center. "Study on pediatric brain stem tumors." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131203191201.htm (accessed April 25, 2024).

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