Diffuse midline glioma
Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered (DMG) is a fatal tumour that arises in midline structures of the brain, most commonly the brainstem, thalamus and spinal cord. When located in the pons it is also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
| Diffuse midline glioma | |
|---|---|
| Magnetic resonance imaging of a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. | |
| Usual onset | 5–10 years old |
| Treatment | Radiation Chemotherapy (Surgery to biopsy or remove the tumor is not safe due to its location) |
| Prognosis | Average overall survival generally ranges from 8 to 11 months |
| Frequency | ~10–20% of childhood brain tumors |
DMG is believed to be caused by genetic mutations that cause epigenetic changes in cells of the developing nervous system, resulting in a failure of the cells to properly differentiate. Currently, the standard of care is fractionated external beam radiotherapy, as the tumour location precludes surgery and chemotherapy has shown to be ineffective. However, the estimated survival post-diagnosis remains only 9–15 months.
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