Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development
Published on: May 17, 2024
Pediatric low-grade glioma and neurofibromatosis type 1: A single-institution experience
Antonio Ruggiero1, Giorgio Attinà1, Anastasia Campanelli1
1Pediatric Oncology Unit, Department of Women and Child Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli Hospital Foundation IRCCS, Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Background:
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-related gliomas appear to have a clinical behavior different from that of sporadic cases. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of different factors in influencing the tumor response rate of children receiving chemotherapy for their symptomatic glioma.
Methods:
Between 1995 and 2015, 60 patients with low-grade glioma (42 sporadic cases and 18 cases with NF1) were treated. Patients with brainstem gliomas were excluded. Thirty-nine patients underwent exclusive or postsurgical chemotherapy (vincristine/carboplatin-based regimen).
Results:
Disease reduction was achieved in 12 of the 28 patients (42.8%) with sporadic low-grade glioma and in 9 of the 11 patients (81.8%) with NF1, with a significant difference between the 2 groups (P < 0.05). The response to chemotherapy in both the patient groups was not significantly influenced by sex, age, tumor site, and histopathology, although disease reduction occurred more frequently in children aged under 3 years.
Conclusions:
Our study showed that pediatric patients with low-grade glioma and NF1 are more likely to respond to chemotherapy than those with non-NF1.
