Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) face a dismal prognosis, with a median overall survival of 9 months. Our aims are to determine the incidence of DIPG in the Netherlands and to identify points for improvement in clinical research, a prerequisite for increasing the chance to find a cure.
METHODS: We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study by evaluating all children diagnosed with DIPG in the Netherlands between 1990 and 2010.
RESULTS: The incidence of DIPG in the Netherlands corresponds with international literature. Between 1990 and 2010, a large heterogeneity of treatment schedules was applied and only a minority of patients was included in clinical trials.
DISCUSSION: Given the rarity of DIPG, we emphasize the need for (inter-)national trials to facilitate the identification of potentially effective therapeutics in the future. This can be supported by the recent development of a European DIPG registry enabling international study collaborations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 157-64 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- Brain Stem Neoplasms/diagnosis
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Cohort Studies
- Female
- Glioma/diagnosis
- Humans
- Male
- Netherlands
- Pons/pathology
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Studies
- Survival Rate