Current Research

Research for childhood CNS tumors is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your child’s doctor.

New medications. Doctors are examining new types of drugs that may better control tumor growth.

Improved imaging techniques. Imaging techniques are being developed that help surgeons pinpoint the tumor's location, to reduce or prevent tissue damage to the healthy parts of the brain during treatment.

• Functional MRI (fMRI) is an imaging technique that identifies the parts of the brain that control speech, hearing, vision, touch, and movement. The specific locations of these functions are slightly different in every person, so fMRI allows surgeons to plan surgery around these areas.

• Image-guided stereotaxis allows surgeons to visualize and operate on the brain using three-dimensional outlines of the brain and the tumor. Along with specialized software, these images help guide the surgeon to the tumor. Many tumors that were once considered inoperable can now be removed with this technique.

• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans are also being used to examine tumor metabolic activity. Whether these techniques will improve a doctor’s ability to predict how a tumor will grow and spread is still being researched.

Improved methods of delivering radiation treatment. Doctors are experimenting with new techniques for delivering radiation therapy to certain types of tumors. These methods produce detailed, three-dimensional maps of the brain and tumor, so doctors can reduce radiation given to healthy tissue and focus on the tumor. This can reduce a child’s exposure to radiation and lessen the long-term effects in the child.

Use of biologic markers to characterize tumors. Doctors are looking at various proteins and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) markers in blood samples and tumor tissue of children with cancer to help predict the aggressiveness of a tumor. This information may help doctors treat the tumor more effectively.