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Updated: May 16, 2026
A Protocol for Rapid Post-mortem Cell Culture of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
Published on: March 7, 2017
Pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma patients from a single center
Rejin Kebudi1, Fatma Betul Cakir, Fulya Yaman Agaoglu
1Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty and Oncology Institute, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. rejinkebudi@yahoo.com
Insights
Adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy significantly improves survival for children with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG). Combining radiation with temozolomide (TMZ) or other chemotherapies offers better outcomes than radiation alone for DIPG patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Neuro-Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
Background:
- Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) have a poor prognosis in children.
- This study evaluates treatment outcomes for pediatric DIPG patients at a single institution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the characteristics and treatment outcomes of pediatric patients diagnosed with DIPG.
- To compare the survival rates of DIPG patients treated with different therapeutic regimens.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 50 pediatric DIPG patients treated between February 1999 and May 2012.
- Analysis of outcomes based on treatment modalities: radiotherapy (RT) alone, RT with chemotherapy (cisplatin, vincristine, CCNU, or temozolomide [TMZ]).
Main Results:
- Median survival for all patients was 13 months.
- Patients receiving RT plus TMZ demonstrated significantly higher overall survival compared to RT alone (p=0.018).
- Patients receiving RT plus other chemotherapies also showed significantly improved survival versus RT alone (p=0.013).
Conclusions:
- Chemotherapy administered concurrently with and/or after radiotherapy improves overall survival in pediatric DIPG patients.
- The combination of radiotherapy with temozolomide or other chemotherapeutic agents appears to prolong survival for some DIPG patients.
Background:
The prognosis of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) is dismal. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics and treatment outcome of children with DIPG in a single center.
Methods:
We reviewed the outcome of children with DIPG treated at the Oncology Institute of Istanbul University from February 1999 to May 2012.
Results:
Fifty children (26 female, 24 male) with the median age of 7 years were analyzed. The median duration of symptoms was 30 days. All patients received radiotherapy (RT). Before the year 2000, 12 patients received only RT. Thirty-eight had concomitant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy with RT. Between 2000 and 2004, 17 patients received cis-platinum or vincristine as sensitizers during RT and CCNU + vincristine combination after RT. Since 2004, 21 patients received temozolomide (TMZ) concomitantly during RT and as adjuvant chemotherapy after RT. The median survival time of all patients was 13 months (1-160 months). Patients receiving RT + TMZ had a significantly higher overall survival than patients with only RT (p = 0.018). Patients receiving RT + chemotherapy other than TMZ also had a significantly higher overall survival than patients receiving only RT (p = 0.013). Patients receiving RT + TMZ + and chemotherapy other than TMZ had a significantly higher survival than patients receiving only RT (p = 0.005).
Conclusion:
In our series, patients receiving RT + TMZ and also patients receiving RT + chemotherapy other than TMZ had a significantly higher overall survival than patients treated with only RT. Hence, administering chemotherapy during and after RT seems to prolong survival in some DIPG patients.
