Current Research

Research for ependymoma 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.

Improved radiation therapy techniques. Although the use of radiation therapy is not standard cancer treatment for children under the age of three, its usefulness and side effects are being evaluated in a clinical trial for children with ependymoma in this age group. In addition, new techniques for planning and delivering radiation therapy are also being evaluated that better target the tumor, reducing damage to healthy parts of the brain.

New combinations of chemotherapy. New types of chemotherapy and combinations of drugs are being researched with the goal of shrinking any tumor that remains after surgery.