High-grade gliomas are aggressive brain and spinal cord tumors that can affect children of all ages. These fast-growing childhood cancers spread quickly through brain tissue, making them exceptionally hard to treat.
What Are High-Grade Gliomas?
High-grade gliomas are classified based on their location and how they appear under a microscope. This classification helps doctors predict outcomes, but unfortunately, the overall prognosis for high-grade glioma in children remains poor.
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Signs and Symptoms of High-Grade Gliomas
The symptoms of high-grade glioma depend on the tumor’s location in the brain or spinal cord. Common symptoms include:
- Persistent headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- New or unexplained seizures
How are High-Grade Gliomas diagnosed?
A doctor will order an imaging study such as an MRI or CT scan to confirm diagnosis. If imaging shows a tumor, a biopsy will be performed to receive a tissue sample. The tumor sample will be analyzed to confirm diagnosis. Because there are many different types of high-grade glioma, molecular testing must occur to get a correct diagnosis.
How Are High-Grade Gliomas Treated?
Treating high-grade gliomas requires a team of healthcare professionals and a combination of therapies.
- Surgery: Tumor removal is the primary goal, but some tumors, like diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG), cannot be surgically removed due to their location.
- Radiation Therapy: Most patients receive radiation therapy to target tumor cells.
- Targeted Therapies: which are generally newer medicines designed to specifically target cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: Used alongside other treatments, chemotherapy may help slow tumor growth. Unfortunately, chemotherapy has not been very effective in the management of high-grade glioma.
Unfortunately, current treatments for high-grade gliomas in children may prolong life but rarely lead to long-term survival. That’s why research into the genetics and biology of these tumors is critical to developing new and effective therapies.
How is research helping children?
Recent research is advancing pediatric high-grade glioma treatment by identifying specific genetic mutations and molecular targets, leading to more personalized and potentially more effective therapies. Additionally, innovative approaches like immunotherapy and novel drug delivery methods show promise in overcoming the blood-brain barrier in early trials. These breakthroughs are now fueling clinical trials, and researchers remain hopeful that more effective treatments will soon become available.
By supporting St. Baldrick’s, you’re giving hope to kids battling high-grade gliomas and other childhood cancers. Together, we can fund the research needed to improve treatments and save lives.
Donate now and help support research into better treatments for kids with cancer.
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Learn about one of our recent Research Outcomes dealing with High-Grade Glioma:
Innovative Therapies for Pediatric Gliomas: Preclinical Breakthroughs and Clinical Trial Advances
