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Hannah Simpson usually favors certain words in her cancer recovery discussions. The most prized figures of speech include 'miracle,' 'God,' 'blessed,' and 'divine Providence.' It's not surprising that Simpson uses [...]

Gliomas represent a highly aggressive class of tumors located in the brain. Despite the availability of multiple treatment modalities, the prognosis for patients diagnosed with glioma remains unfavorable. Therefore, further exploration of new biomarkers is crucial to enhance the prognostic assessment of glioma and to investigate more effective treatment options. In this research, we utilized multiple machine learning techniques to assess the significance of genes related to angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the context of prognosis and treatment for glioma patients. The random forest algorithm highlighted the significance of CALU, and further analysis indicated that the effect of CALU on glioma progression may be regulated by MYC. Different machine learning approaches were employed in our investigation to uncover crucial genes associated with angiogenesis and EMT in glioma. Our findings verify the connection between these genes and the prognosis of patients with glioma, as well as the results of immunotherapeutic interventions. Notably, through experimental verification, we identified CALU as a new prognostic marker for glioma, and inhibiting the expression of CALU can impede the progression of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is one of the common tumors in the central nervous system, and its treatment methods (surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy) lack specificity and have a poor prognosis. With the development of immunology, cell biology, and genomics, tumor immunotherapy has ushered in a new era of tumor therapy, achieving significant results in other invasive cancers such as advanced melanoma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Currently, the clinical trials of immunotherapy in glioma are also progressing rapidly. Here, this review summarizes promising immunotherapy methods in recent years, reviews the current status of clinical trials, and discusses the challenges and prospects of glioma immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal and common primary tumor of central nervous system with a poor prognosis. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are particularly significant in GBM proliferation, invasion, self-renewal and recurrence. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in various physiological and pathological processes, including regulating the biological behavior of GBM. Therefore, discovering novel circRNAs related to GSCs may contribute to a promising approach for treatment of GBM. Herein, we find out a novel circRNA termed circZEB1 with a high expression in glioma. Limb-bud and heart (LBH) is a transcription cofactor and promotes glioma stem cell tumorigenicity in our study. Mechanistically, circZEB1 can upregulate the expression of transcription cofactor LBH via sponging miR-128-3p in GSCs. LBH can facilitate the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), thus activating the NF-κB signaling pathway to promote the glioma progression. Meanwhile, LBH can also upregulate the RNA binding protein Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) expression, which can bind to and maintain the stability of circZEB1. A positive feedback loop is formed among FUS, circZEB1, miR-128-3p and LBH in GSCs. Our study uncovers a critical role of circZEB1 and provides a novel biomarker for treating GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic management and follow‐up imaging for glioma patients across Belgian hospitals by calculating process indicators. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed glioma in Belgium (2016–2019) were selected from the Belgian Cancer Registry. The National Social Security Number served as unique patient identifier, linking the Registry to vital status and reimbursement data. Nine measurable process related to diagnosis and follow‐up imaging were identified, with reformulations for 7 due to data limitations. For each indicator, technical documentation sheets, containing all required details (rationale, numerator and denominator, target, limitations, benchmarking, subgroup analyses) were developed, reviewed by a multidisciplinary expert panel, and validated in six pilot hospitals. Per indicator, patients were assigned to the most relevant hospital per indicator using allocation algorithms. Results: Results for process indicators assessing MRI use in glioma diagnosis and follow‐up aligned with predefined targets (90%), except for early postoperative MRI (48.5% vs. target 90%). Mandatory reporting of the WHO performance status (89.3% vs. target 100%) and performance of full‐spine (43.6% vs. target 90%) and follow‐up MRI (73.5% vs. target 90%) in ependymoma were suboptimal. The largest variability across centers was noted for the indicator on early postoperative MRI. Conclusion: This calculation of process indicators identified opportunities for improvement in diagnosis and follow‐up imaging for glioma patients in Belgium. Monitoring indicator results and providing individual feedback reports to the Belgian hospitals invites neuro‐oncology care teams and hospital managements to reflect on their results and to take measures to continuously improve care for glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pediatric posterior fossa tumors pose diagnostic challenges due to their diverse histopathological features and variable clinical presentations. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serves as the initial diagnostic tool; however, additional modalities, such as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), are essential for refining tumor classification. This retrospective single-center study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) parameters in distinguishing between the most common pediatric posterior fossa tumors. Materials and Methods: Fifty-nine patients under the age of 18 (27 females and 32 males) with histopathologically diagnosed primary posterior fossa tumors underwent pre-treatment conventional and diffusion MRI. Apparent diffusion coefficient values were measured from solid tumor regions and normal cerebellar parenchyma, with subsequent calculation of tumor/normal cerebellar ADC ratios. Results: The median ADC values for pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) were 1786.2 ×10−6 mm² /s, ependymomas 1144.9 × 10−6 mm² /s, and for medulloblastomas 666.1 × 10−6 mm2 /s were significantly different (P < .001 for all three). Similarly, the median ADC ratios demonstrated discriminatory potential, with PAs showing the highest ratio (2.46), followed by ependymomas (1.55) and medulloblastomas (0.89) (P < .001 for all three). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed distinct ADC cutoffs and ratios for differentiating all tumor types from each other. Conclusion: Despite limitations, such as a small cohort size and different MRI protocols, our results show that ADC metrics are especially useful for distinguishing between the most common pediatric posterior fossa tumors. We recommend that future studies integrate advanced imaging techniques and larger cohorts to improve diagnostic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The expression of alpha-five beta-three (αVβ3) integrins is upregulated in various malignancies undergoing angiogenesis. The development of integrin antagonists as diagnostic probes makes the αVβ3 integrin a suitable candidate for targeting tumor angiogenesis. The goal of this study was to optimize the radiolabeling and evaluate the potential of conjugated integrin antagonist carbamate (IAC), a peptidomimetic, as a theranostic radiopharmaceutical for targeting tumor angiogenesis. Methodology: Radiolabeling of DOTAGA [2,2′,2"–{10-(2,6-dioxotetrahydro-2H-pyran-3-yl)−1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triyl} triacetic-acid]-IAC with [68Ga]Ga, [177Lu]Lu, and [225Ac]Ac was optimized. The binding affinity (Kd) of DOTAGA-IAC for the αVβ3 receptor and cancer cell lines was quantified. The biodistribution studies were conducted in healthy Wistar rats. Dosimetry analysis was performed on [177Lu]Lu-DOTAGA-IAC distribution data. A pilot study of [68Ga]Ga-DOTAGA-IAC and [18F]FDG Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) imaging was performed in five patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer. PET/CT findings were compared between [68Ga]Ga-DOTAGA-IAC and [18F]FDG in these patients. Results: Radiopharmaceuticals were prepared with high radiochemical purity (>99.9%). Kd and Bmax measurements were 15.02 nM and 417 fmol for αVβ3 receptor protein: 115.7 nM and 295.3 fmol for C6 glioma cells. Biodistribution studies in rats suggested the excretion via kidneys and partially through the hepatobiliary route. The effective dose of [177Lu]Lu-DOTAGA-IAC was found to be 0.17 mSv/MBq. The dynamic study in patients revealed the optimal imaging time to be 30–35 mins postadministration. Out of the cohort, [68Ga]Ga-DOTAGA-IAC detected the primary lesions in all five patients with a mean standard uptake value (SUVmax) of 3.94 ± 0.58 compared with [18F]FDG (SUVmax 13.8 ± 6.53). Conclusion: The study demonstrates that DOTAGA-IAC exhibits strong binding to αVβ3 integrin, positioning it as a promising PET agent for assessing primary and metastatic cancers. The outcomes from the pilot study suggest the potential of [68Ga]Ga-DOTAGA-IAC PET/CT in breast carcinoma diagnosis. While recognizing the theranostic potential of DOTAGA-IAC for αVβ3 integrin-expressing tumors, further clinical investigations are warranted to comprehensively assess therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: To develop and test a decision tree for predicting contrast enhancement quality and shape using precontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences in a large adult‐type diffuse glioma cohort. Methods: Preoperative MRI scans (development/optimization/test sets: n = 31/38/303, male = 17/22/189, mean age = 52/59/56.7 years, high‐grade glioma = 22/33/249) were retrospectively evaluated, including pre‐ and postcontrast T1‐weighted, T2‐weighted, fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion‐weighted imaging sequences. Enhancement prediction decision tree (EPDT) was developed using development and optimization sets, incorporating four imaging features: necrosis, diffusion restriction, T2 inhomogeneity, and nonenhancing tumor margins. EPDT accuracy was assessed on a test set by three raters of variable experience. True enhancement features (gold standard) were evaluated using pre‐ and postcontrast T1‐weighted images. Statistical analysis used confusion matrices, Cohen's/Fleiss' kappa, and Kendall's W. Significance threshold was p <.05. Results: Raters 1, 2, and 3 achieved overall accuracies of.86 (95% confidence interval [CI]:.81‐.90),.89 (95% CI:.85‐.92), and.92 (95% CI:.89‐.95), respectively, in predicting enhancement quality (marked, mild, or no enhancement). Regarding shape, defined as the thickness of enhancing margin (solid, rim, or no enhancement), accuracies were.84 (95% CI:.79‐.88),.88 (95% CI:.84‐.92), and.89 (95% CI:.85‐.92). Intrarater intergroup agreement comparing predicted and true enhancement features consistently reached substantial levels (≥.68 [95% CI:.61‐.75]). Interrater comparison showed at least moderate agreement (group: ≥.42 [95% CI:.36‐.48], pairwise: ≥.61 [95% CI:.50‐.72]). Among the imaging features in the EPDT, necrosis assessment displayed the highest intra‐ and interrater consistency (≥.80 [95% CI:.73‐.88]). Conclusion: The proposed EPDT has high accuracy in predicting enhancement patterns of gliomas irrespective of rater experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and treatment‐resistant forms of primary brain cancer, posing significant challenges in effective therapy. This study aimed to enhance the effectiveness of glioblastoma therapy by developing a unique nanomedicine composed of Pluronic F127‐complexed PEGylated poly(glutamic acid)‐cisplatin (PLG‐PEG/PF127‐CDDP). PLG‐PEG/PF127‐CDDP demonstrated an optimal size of 133.97 ± 12.60 nm, facilitating efficient cell uptake by GL261 glioma cells. In vitro studies showed significant cytotoxicity against glioma cells with a half‐maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 12.61 µg mL−1 at 48 h and a 72.53% ± 1.89% reduction in cell invasion. Furthermore, PLG‐PEG/PF127‐CDDP prolonged the circulation half‐life of cisplatin to 9.75 h in vivo, leading to a more than 50% reduction in tumor size on day 16 post‐treatment initiation in a murine model of glioma. The treatment significantly elevated lactate levels in GL261 cells, indicating enhanced metabolic disruption. Therefore, PLG‐PEG/PF127‐CDDP offers a promising approach for glioblastoma therapy due to its effects on improving drug delivery efficiency, therapeutic outcomes, and safety while minimizing systemic side effects. This work underscores the potential of polymer‐based nanomedicines in overcoming the challenges of treating brain tumors, paving the way for future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: While tumor cell invasion beyond the surgically resectable "margin" of glioblastoma is thought to be associated with nearly 100% of recurrences and poor survival, no reliable methods exist for mapping the location of invading tumor cells within the human brain. Building on prior work demonstrating the ability of Q-space magnetic resonance imaging (QSI) to highlight structural alterations in tissue architecture, we hypothesized that using this imaging method to construct tumor-associated tractography might identify tumor-specific structures that underlie cellular invasion. Our results demonstrate that such tractography patterns can be observed in a tumor-specific manner, and provide preliminary evidence that those patterns may colocalize with invading tumor cells, and metrics derived from them may be associated with patient survival time. Background: The invasion of glioblastoma cells beyond the visible tumor margin depicted by conventional neuroimaging is believed to mediate recurrence and predict poor survival. Radiomic biomarkers that are associated with the direction and extent of tumor infiltration are, however, non-existent. Methods: Patients from a single center with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (n = 7) underwent preoperative Q-space magnetic resonance imaging (QSI; 3T, 64 gradient directions, b = 1000 s/mm2) between 2018 and 2019. Tumors were manually segmented, and patterns of inter-voxel coherence spatially intersecting each segmentation were generated to represent tumor-associated tractography. One patient additionally underwent regional biopsy of diffusion tract- versus non-tract-associated tissue during tumor resection for RNA sequencing. Imaging data from this cohort were compared with a historical cohort of n = 66 glioblastoma patients who underwent similar QSI scans. Associations of tractography-derived metrics with survival were assessed using t-tests, linear regression, and Kaplan–Meier statistics. Patient-derived glioblastoma xenograft (PDX) mice generated with the sub-hippocampal injection of human-derived glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) were scanned under high-field conditions (QSI, 7T, 512 gradient directions), and tumor-associated tractography was compared with the 3D microscopic reconstruction of immunostained GSCs. Results: In the principal enrollment cohort of patients with glioblastoma, all cases displayed tractography patterns with tumor-intersecting tract bundles extending into brain parenchyma, a phenotype which was reproduced in PDX mice as well as in a larger comparison cohort of glioblastoma patients (n = 66), when applying similar methods. Reconstructed spatial patterns of GSCs in PDX mice closely mirrored tumor-associated tractography. On a Kaplan–Meier survival analysis of n = 66 patients, the calculated intra-tumoral mean diffusivity predicted the overall survival (p = 0.037), as did tractography-associated features including mean tract length (p = 0.039) and mean projecting tract length (p = 0.022). The RNA sequencing of human tissue samples (n = 13 tumor samples from a single patient) revealed the overexpression of transcripts which regulate cell motility in tract-associated samples. Conclusions: QSI discriminates tumor-specific patterns of inter-voxel coherence believed to represent white matter pathways which may be susceptible to glioblastoma invasion. These findings may lay the groundwork for future work on therapeutic targeting, patient stratification, and prognosis in glioblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Metabolic syndrome has been associated with systemic cancers but its association with patients with glioblastoma is unclear. This study retrospectively examined patients with IDH wild-type glioblastoma and demonstrated that metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in glioblastoma patients (41%) compared to the general population (33%). However, after adjusting for confounders, metabolic syndrome is not significantly linked to overall survival (p = 0.1). Nonetheless, the accumulation of metabolic risk factors correlates with decreased survival (p = 0.03), with hyperglycemia identified as a significant independent risk factor (p = 0.05). These findings suggest that while metabolic syndrome may not affect survival significantly, hyperglycemia does. This highlights the need for further research and targeted clinical management. Background: Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing various systemic cancers. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients is unknown. Further, there have been contradictory reports about how metabolic syndrome affects clinical outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased prevalence of glioblastoma and worsened survival outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study examines seventy-three patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type glioblastoma as it provides a relatively homogeneous population to examine. Patient characteristics, vital signs, lab results, tumor molecular markers, and overall survival were analyzed. Patients with metabolic syndrome and individual risk factors were identified, and survival outcomes were examined. Results: Our results demonstrate that there is a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our cohort of patients with glioblastoma than in the general population (41% vs. 33%), though this effect is confounded by older age. We also demonstrate that after correction for confounding variables, metabolic syndrome is not significantly associated with overall survival (p = 0.1). When analyzing individual metabolic risk factors, we demonstrate that there is a significant association between the accumulation of metabolic risk factors and decreased survival (p = 0.03), and hyperglycemia emerges as a significant independent risk factor for decreased survival (p = 0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that metabolic risk factors can affect survival in patients with glioblastoma, which can have significant implications for clinical practice. These findings need to be further explored through further clinical and mechanistic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this single-center retrospective analysis of 101 patients with recurrent glioblastoma, we demonstrate the benefit of a multimodal treatment approach with normo-fractionated re-RT with combined alkylating chemotherapy after surgical resection. Additionally, questions of patient selection, treatment tolerability, and patterns of relapse are addressed. Multimodal Treatment with re-resection followed by re-irradiation in combination with alkylating chemotherapy achieved the best results, especially when a combination of two agents (TMZ and CCNU) is used. Treatment was tolerated well with little evidence of radionecrosis or hematological toxicity and mean overall survival was 11.3 months (mean progression free survival: 9.5 months). No influence of second-line chemotherapy on patterns of relapse was detected. Background: Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Even after maximal safe resection and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, patients normally relapse after a few years or even months. Standard treatment for recurrent glioblastoma is not yet defined, with re-resection, re-irradiation, and systemic therapy playing key roles. Usually, re-irradiation is combined with concurrent chemotherapy, harnessing the radiosensitizing effects of alkylating agents. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 101 patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with re-irradiation was conducted, evaluating the survival impact of concurrent chemotherapy regimens, as well as prior resection. Patients were subcategorized according to concurrent chemotherapy (temozolomide vs. CCNU vs. combination of both vs. none) and details are given regarding treatment toxicity and patterns of relapse after first- and second-line treatment. Results: Patients were treated with normo-fractionated re-irradiation (with prescription dose of ~40 Gy to the PTV), resulting in a moderate cumulative EQD2 (~100 Gy). The mean overall survival was 11.3 months (33.5 months from initial diagnosis) and mean progression free survival was 9.5 months. Prior resection resulted in increased survival (p < 0.001), especially when gross total resection was achieved. Patients who received concurrent chemotherapy had significantly longer survival vs. no chemotherapy (p < 0.01), with the combination of CCNU and TMZ achieving the best results. Overall survival was significantly better in patients who received the CCNU + TMZ combination at any time during treatment (first or second line) vs. monotherapy only. The treatment of larger volumes (mean PTV size = 112.7 cm3) was safe and did not result in worse prognosis or increased demand for corticosteroids. Overall, the incidence of high-grade toxicity or sequential radionecrosis (5%) was reasonably low and treatment was tolerated well. While second-line chemotherapy did not seem to influence patterns of relapse, patients who received TMZ + CCNU as first-line treatment had a tendency towards better local control with more out-field recurrence. Conclusions: Normo-fractionated re-irradiation appears to be safe and is accompanied by good survival outcomes, even when applied to larger treatment volumes. Patients amenable to undergo re-resection and achieving concurrent systemic therapy with alkylating agents had better OS, especially when gross total resection was possible. Based on existing data and experiences reflected in this analysis, we advocate for a multimodal approach to recurrent glioblastoma with maximal safe re-resection and adjuvant second chemoradiation. The combination of TMZ and CCNU for patients with methylated MGMT promoter yielded the best results in the primary and recurrent situation (together with re-RT). Normo-fractionated RT enables the use of more generous margins and is tolerated well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the deadliest form of primary brain cancer, and the survival of patients is only about 15 months after diagnosis, even with aggressive treatment. Many cellular factors that are used by GBM cells to divide abnormally and invade brain tissue to result in patient death are unknown. Here, we investigated the potential role of the cellular enzyme QSOX1, which creates specific bonds within proteins, in GBM cell proliferation, migration in a dish, and invasion into brain tissue in our chick embryo brain tumor model system. By experimentally reducing QSOX1 protein production in GBM cells, we found that this reduction resulted in less proliferation, slower migration, and less invasion into brain tissue. These results show the importance of the QSOX1 enzyme in GBM cells in order for them to exhibit their abnormal aggressive behavior that drives this incurable cancer. Background: Quiescin Sulfhydryl Oxidase 1 (QSOX1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of free thiols to generate disulfide bonds in a variety of proteins, including the cell surface and extracellular matrix. QSOX1 has been reported to be upregulated in a number of cancers, and the overexpression of QSOX1 has been correlated with aggressive cancers and poor patient prognosis. Glioblastoma (GBM) brain cancer has been practically impossible to treat effectively, with cells that rapidly invade normal brain tissue and escape surgery and other treatment. Thus, there is a crucial need to understand the multiple mechanisms that facilitate GBM cell invasion and to determine if QSOX1 is involved. Methods and Results: Here, we investigated the function of QSOX1 in human glioblastoma cells using two cell lines derived from T98G cells, whose proliferation, motility, and invasiveness has been shown by us to be dependent on disulfide bond-containing adhesion and receptor proteins, such as L1CAM and the FGFR. We lentivirally introduced shRNA to attenuate the QSOX1 protein expression in one cell line, and a Western blot analysis confirmed the decreased QSOX1 expression. A DNA content/cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry revealed 27% fewer knockdown cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle, indicating a reduced proliferation. A cell motility analysis utilizing our highly quantitative SuperScratch time-lapse microscopy assay revealed that knockdown cells migrated more slowly, with a 45% decrease in migration velocity. Motility was partly rescued by the co-culture of knockdown cells with control cells, indicating a paracrine effect. Surprisingly, knockdown cells exhibited increased motility when assayed using a Transwell migration assay. Our novel chick embryo orthotopic xenograft model was used to assess the in vivo invasiveness of knockdown vs. control cells, and tumors developed from both cell types. However, fewer invasive knockdown cells were observed after about a week. Conclusions: Our results indicate that an experimental reduction in QSOX1 expression in GBM cells leads to decreased cell proliferation, altered in vitro migration, and decreased in vivo invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Adult medulloblastoma is an uncommon brain tumor, distinct from its pediatric counterpart in clinical presentation and molecular characteristics. Its management often relies on treatment strategies derived from pediatric cases due to limited research on adults. Our study evaluates the clinical and molecular characteristics of 53 adult patients treated at a single center and explores factors influencing survival outcomes. We found that the extent of surgery and disease stage significantly impacted survival, while molecular subtypes did not correlate with prognosis. High-risk patients exhibited poor outcomes, suggesting a need for more aggressive treatment approaches. Understanding these factors is crucial for improving survival rates in adult patients. Background/Objectives: Adult medulloblastoma is a rare entity, with management data extrapolated from pediatric medulloblastoma cases. We aim to report the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and treatment outcome of a cohort of adult patients with medulloblastoma. Methods: Fifty-three patients aged ≥ 18 years with medulloblastoma treated at King Hussein Cancer Center between 2007 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' diseases were staged according to modified Chang's staging system. All patients received adjuvant craniospinal irradiation followed by a posterior fossa boost. Baseline disease characteristics, including molecular subgrouping, were tested as prognostic factors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by using univariate analysis. Results: Median follow-up was 70 months (range 37.5–104.5 months). Twenty-two tumors were of the SHH-activated subtype. Conversely, WNT-activated and group 4 tumors had three cases each. Only 37.7% of patients died. The mean 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS were 85% (75–95%), 74% (62–87%), and 50% (33–75%), respectively. Significant differences in OS were associated with the extent of surgery (p = 0.017), M stage (p = 0.009), and risk status (p < 0.001). Relapses were detected in 28.3% of cases. The 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year PFS were 81% (71–92%), 75% (63–88%), and 66% (52–83%), respectively. Significant differences in PFS were associated with the extent of surgery (p = 0.008) and risk status (p = 0.012). Molecular subgrouping did not correlate with OS or PFS. Conclusions: Our results revealed poor survival of patients with high-risk disease, which may necessitate the intensification of chemotherapy. Molecular subgrouping did not correlate with the outcome in this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study explored the failure pattern and clinical outcomes in patients with ependymoma undergoing radiotherapy. Methods: Between January 2004 and June 2022, we included 32 patients with ependymoma who underwent radiotherapy as part of the multimodality treatment at our institution. Of these, 27 (84.4%) underwent adjuvant radiotherapy, four received radiotherapy after local recurrence, and one received definitive CyberKnife radiotherapy (21 Gy in three fractions). The median prescribed dose was 54 Gy in patients who received conventional radiotherapy. We analyzed the local progression-free survival (LPFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and potential prognostic factors. Results: The median age was 29.8 years. Approximately 28.1% were pediatric patients. Fifteen tumors (46.9%) were World Health Organization (WHO) grade II, 10 (31.3%) were WHO grade III, and seven (22.8%) were WHO grade I. Among them, 15 patients (46.9%) had posterior fossa tumors, 10 (31.3%) had supratentorial tumors, and seven (22.8%) had spinal tumors. Of the 31 patients who underwent upfront surgical resection, 19 (61.3%) underwent gross total resection or near-total resection. Seventeen of 19 patients with first failures (89.5%) had isolated local recurrences. Of the 19 patients with disease progression, 11 (57.9%) were disease free or had stable disease after salvage therapy, and five (26.3%) had disease-related mortality. Most of the first local recurrences after radiotherapy occurred infield (13 of 16, 81.3%). The 5-year LPFS, DMFS, PFS, and OS rates were 48.5%, 89.6%, 45.1%, and 88.4%, respectively, at a median follow-up of 6.25 years. Subtotal resection was associated with poorer LPFS and PFS in patients with intracranial ependymoma (hazard ratio = 3.69, p = 0.018, for LPFS; hazard ratio = 3.20, p = 0.029, for PFS). Conclusion: Incorporating radiotherapy into multimodal treatment has led to favorable outcomes in patients with ependymoma, and the extent of resection is a prognostic factor for the local control of intracranial ependymoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether use of antidepressants is related to the risk of developing lower-grade (WHO grades 2-3) and higher-grade (WHO grade 4) glioma was investigated in this study. A registry-based case–control study was performed with 1283 glioma case patients and 6400 age-, sex-, and geographically matched control participants who were diagnosed in Sweden during 2009-2013. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or non-SSRIs were associated with the risk of developing lower- or higher-grade glioma in the study population. Our results show that use of antidepressant medication was not associated with the risk of developing glioma. We also performed a meta-analysis in which the data set from the present study was combined with results from 2 previous epidemiologic studies to answer the same questions. The meta-analysis showed a modest risk reduction of developing glioma in relation to antidepressant treatment (odds ratio = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.97) when all glioma subgroups and all forms of antidepressant medications were combined. In conclusion, it remains possible that antidepressants may have common monoaminergic mechanism(s) that reduce the risk of developing glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Research into the effectiveness and applicability of deep learning, radiomics, and their integrated models based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for preoperative differentiation between Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) and Glioblastoma (GBM), along with an exploration of the interpretability of these models. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on MRI images and clinical data from 261 patients across two medical centers. The data were split into a training set (n = 153, medical center 1) and an external test set (n = 108, medical center 2). Radiomic features were extracted using Pyradiomics to build the Radiomics Model. Deep learning networks, including the transformer-based MobileVIT Model and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) based ConvNeXt Model, were trained separately. By applying the "late fusion" theory, the radiomics model and deep learning model were fused to produce the optimal Max-Fusion Model. Additionally, Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and Grad-CAM were employed for interpretability analysis. Results: In the external test set, the Radiomics Model achieved an Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.86, the MobileVIT Model had an AUC of 0.91, the ConvNeXt Model demonstrated an AUC of 0.89, and the Max-Fusion Model showed an AUC of 0.92. The Delong test revealed a significant difference in AUC between the Max-Fusion Model and the Radiomics Model (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The Max-Fusion Model, combining different models, presents superior performance in distinguishing PCNSL and GBM, highlighting the effectiveness of model fusion for enhanced decision-making in medical applications. Clinical Relevance Statement: The preoperative non-invasive differentiation between PCNSL and GBM assists clinicians in selecting appropriate treatment regimens and clinical management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculomas are prevalent in developing countries and demonstrate variable signals on MRI resulting in the overlap of the conventional imaging phenotype with other entities including glioma and brain metastasis. An accurate MRI diagnosis is important for the early institution of anti-tubercular therapy, decreased patient morbidity, mortality, and prevents unnecessary neurosurgical excision. This study aims to assess the potential of radiomics features of regular contrast images including T1W, T2W, T2W FLAIR, T1W post contrast images, and ADC maps, to differentiate between tuberculomas, high-grade-gliomas and metastasis, the commonest intra parenchymal mass lesions encountered in the clinical practice. Methods: This retrospective study includes 185 subjects. Images were resampled, co-registered, skull-stripped, and zscore-normalized. Automated lesion segmentation was performed followed by radiomics feature extraction, train-test split, and features reduction. All machine learning algorithms that natively support multiclass classification were trained and assessed on features extracted from individual modalities as well as combined modalities. Model explainability of the best performing model was calculated using the summary plot obtained by SHAP values. Results: Extra tree classifier trained on the features from ADC maps was the best classifier for the discrimination of tuberculoma from high-grade-glioma and metastasis with AUC-score of 0.96, accuracy-score of 0.923, Brier-score of 0.23. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that radiomics features are effective in discriminating between tuberculoma, metastasis, and high-grade-glioma with notable accuracy and AUC scores. Features extracted from the ADC maps surfaced as the most robust predictors of the target variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Precise glioma segmentation from multi‐parametric magnetic resonance (MR) images is essential for brain glioma diagnosis. However, due to the indistinct boundaries between tumor sub‐regions and the heterogeneous appearances of gliomas in volumetric MR scans, designing a reliable and automated glioma segmentation method is still challenging. Although existing 3D Transformer‐based or convolution‐based segmentation networks have obtained promising results via multi‐modal feature fusion strategies or contextual learning methods, they widely lack the capability of hierarchical interactions between different modalities and cannot effectively learn comprehensive feature representations related to all glioma sub‐regions. Purpose: To overcome these problems, in this paper, we propose a 3D hierarchical cross‐modality interaction network (HCMINet) using Transformers and convolutions for accurate multi‐modal glioma segmentation, which leverages an effective hierarchical cross‐modality interaction strategy to sufficiently learn modality‐specific and modality‐shared knowledge correlated to glioma sub‐region segmentation from multi‐parametric MR images. Methods: In the HCMINet, we first design a hierarchical cross‐modality interaction Transformer (HCMITrans) encoder to hierarchically encode and fuse heterogeneous multi‐modal features by Transformer‐based intra‐modal embeddings and inter‐modal interactions in multiple encoding stages, which effectively captures complex cross‐modality correlations while modeling global contexts. Then, we collaborate an HCMITrans encoder with a modality‐shared convolutional encoder to construct the dual‐encoder architecture in the encoding stage, which can learn the abundant contextual information from global and local perspectives. Finally, in the decoding stage, we present a progressive hybrid context fusion (PHCF) decoder to progressively fuse local and global features extracted by the dual‐encoder architecture, which utilizes the local‐global context fusion (LGCF) module to efficiently alleviate the contextual discrepancy among the decoding features. Results: Extensive experiments are conducted on two public and competitive glioma benchmark datasets, including the BraTS2020 dataset with 494 patients and the BraTS2021 dataset with 1251 patients. Results show that our proposed method outperforms existing Transformer‐based and CNN‐based methods using other multi‐modal fusion strategies in our experiments. Specifically, the proposed HCMINet achieves state‐of‐the‐art mean DSC values of 85.33% and 91.09% on the BraTS2020 online validation dataset and the BraTS2021 local testing dataset, respectively. Conclusions: Our proposed method can accurately and automatically segment glioma regions from multi‐parametric MR images, which is beneficial for the quantitative analysis of brain gliomas and helpful for reducing the annotation burden of neuroradiologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is a type of cancer that affects the central nervous system and necessitates a non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic assessment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in glioma and can provide valuable information about the prognosis of patients with this condition. MiR-124 is associated with molecules that play crucial roles in cellular processes, and any disruption in its expression can have a detrimental effect on cells, potentially leading to cancer. Therefore, miR-124 can be a valuable biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in glioma. This review aims to highlight the role of miR-124 as a diagnostic and prognostic factor in glioma. To address this issue, we systemically reviewed and used various search strategies across three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus) and then yielded 3046 records from inception to September 2023. Records that did not meet our inclusion criteria were excluded. Following the screening process, our analysis included and summarized 13 eligible studies that not only measured miR-124 in serum, plasma, and tissue of glioma patients but also provided insights intomiR-124 as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker. Thirteen studies were included for diagnostic accuracy, and five were considered for prognostic importance of miR-124. Based on our results, a single study showed an increase in miR-124 levels in exosomes obtained from patient serum, whereas the data from the 12 studies analyzed consistently pointed towards a reduction in miR-124 levels in various glioma samples. In conclusion, our findings suggest that miR-124 may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in glioma. However, further investigations are required to draw more definitive conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the past, brain stem was treated with surgery or placement of shunt in Pakistan. Gamma Knife surgery is currently an alternative to surgery for deep brain lesions. In the current study, we show the clinical experience of our Centre treated with Gamma Knife surgery Methods: This is a descriptive study conducted between February 2016 and October 2021. We had total 47 patients presented with focal brainstem gliomas which were selected for Gamma knife radiosurgery at the Neurospinal and Cancer Care Institute Karachi. Results: Clinical Response was observed among them 20 (42.55%) patients improved, 22(46.80%) were stable, while 05 (10.63%) got worse The mean duration of symptoms was 31.9(SD10.5± 3months). Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scores during Gamma knife radiosurgery were 90 in 24 patients (51%), 80 in 21 patients (44.6%), and 70 in two patients (4.2%). Four patients (10.6%) had received conventional radiotherapy before Gamma knife radiosurgery. Conclusion: Among the diverse gliomas, their peril varies not just by type but also by their intricate location within the brain. The efficacy of gamma knife radiation is excellent particularly when tackling high-grade tumors, exhibiting its prowess in both adult and pediatric cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore whether differences in diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) between therapy-naïve high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are related to the cellularity and/or the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio. Methods: We analyzed 44 and 40 diffuse glioma samples that were pathologically confirmed as HGGs and IDH1-mutant LGGs, respectively. The DKI parameters included kurtosis metrics (mean kurtosis [MK], axial kurtosis [K//], and radial kurtosis [K⊥]), and the diffusional metrics (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusion [MD], axial diffusion [λ//], and radial diffusion [λ⊥]). The cellularity and the N/C ratio were compared within LGGs and HGGs using the Mann–Whitney U test (significant level, p < 0.007 [0.05/7]); Bonferroni correction). Spearman's correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlation coefficients among DKI metrics, cellularity, and the N/C ratio at a significant level of p = 0.05. Results: Excluding FA, all DKI metrics showed significant differences between HGGs and LGGs (all p ≤ 0.001). The N/C ratio of HGGs was significantly higher than that of LGGs; however, differences in cellularity were not significant between the two glioma groups (p = 0.525). Similarly, excluding FA, all DKI metrics were significantly correlated with the N/C ratio in LGGs, with correlation coefficients of − 0.365 (MD), − 0.313 (λ//), − 0.376 (λ⊥), 0.859 (MK), 0.772 (K//), and 0.842 (K//). There was a non-significant correlation between any DKI parameters and the cellularity in LGGs. Additionally, the cellularity and N/C ratios in HGGs did not correlate with any DKI metrics. Conclusions: DKI differentiate LGGs from HGGs associated with their different N/C ratios. Clinical relevance statement: This study shows that DKI differentiates LGGs from HGGs may correlated with their different N/C ratios, this could provide a possible histopathological mechanism about why DKI can DKI differentiate LGGs from HGGs. Key Points: • Excluding FA, all DKI metrics showed a significant difference between high-grade gliomas and IDH1-mutant low-grade gliomas. • The nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratios in high-grade gliomas were significantly more extensive than that in IDH1-mutant low-grade gliomas, but not the cellularity. • Significant associations were seen between DKI measures and the N/C ratio; a non-significant correlation was noted between any DKI metric and cellularity in glioma specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (pTERT) mutation status plays a key role in making decisions and predicting prognoses for patients with World Health Organization (WHO) grade IV glioma. This study was conducted to assess the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for predicting pTERT mutation status in WHO grade IV glioma. Methods: MRI data and molecular information were obtained for 266 patients with WHO grade IV glioma at the hospital and divided into training and validation sets. The ratio of training to validation set was approximately 10:3. We trained the same residual convolutional neural network (ResNet) for each MR modality, including structural MRIs (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted) and DWI*, to compare the predictive capacities between DWI and conventional structural MRI. We also explored the effects of different regions of interest on pTERT mutation status prediction outcomes. Results: Structural MRI modalities poorly predicted the pTERT mutation status (accuracy = 51%-54%; area under the curve [AUC]=0.545-0.571), whereas DWI combined with its apparent diffusive coefficient maps yielded the best predictive performance (accuracy = 85.2%, AUC = 0.934). Including the radiological and clinical characteristics did not further improve the performance for predicting pTERT mutation status. The entire tumour volume yielded the best prediction performance. Conclusions: DWI technology shows promising potential for predicting pTERT mutations in WHO grade IV glioma and should be included in the MRI protocol for WHO grade IV glioma in clinical practice. Advances in knowledge: This is the first large-scale model study to validate the predictive value of DWI for pTERT in WHO grade IV glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic utility of clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing between histological grading and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) classification in adult diffuse gliomas. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 247 patients diagnosed with adult diffuse glioma. Experienced radiologists evaluated DWI and MRS images. The Kruskal-Wallis test examined differences in DWI and MRS-related parameters across histological grades, while the Mann–Whitney U test assessed molecular classification. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated parameter effectiveness. Survival curves, stratified by histological grade and IDH classification, were constructed using the Kaplan–Meier test. Results: The cohort comprised 141 males and 106 females, with ages ranging from 19 to 85 years. The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences in ADC mean, Cho/NAA, and Cho/Cr concerning glioma histological grade (P <.01). Subsequent application of Dunn's test showed significant differences in ADC mean among each histological grade (P <.01). Notably, Cho/NAA exhibited a marked distinction between grade 2 and grade 3/4 gliomas (P <.01). The Mann–Whitney U test indicated that only ADC mean showed statistical significance for IDH molecular classification (P <.01). ROC curves were constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the specified parameters. Survival curves were also delineated to portray survival outcomes categorized by histological grade and IDH classification. Conclusions: Clinical MRS demonstrates efficacy in glioma histological grading but faces challenges in IDH classification. Clinical DWI's ADC mean parameter shows significant distinctions in both histological grade and IDH classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Given the typical trajectory of glioblastoma, many patients lose decision-making capacity over time, which can lead to inadequate advance care planning (ACP) and end-of-life (EOL) care. We aimed to evaluate patients' current ACP and EOL care status. Patients and Methods We conducted a cohort study on 205 patients referred to oncologists at a Korean tertiary hospital between 2017 and 2022. We collected information on sociodemographic factors, cancer treatment, palliative care consultation, ACP, legal documents on life-sustaining treatment (LST) decisions, and aggressiveness of EOL care. Results With a median follow-up time of 18.3 months: 159 patients died; median overall survival: 20.3 months. Of the 159 patients, 11 (6.9%) and 63 (39.6%) had advance directive (AD) and LST plans, respectively, whereas 85 (53.5%) had neither. Among the 63 with LST plans, 10 (15.9%) and 53 (84.1%) completed their forms through self-determination and family determination, respectively. Of the 159 patients who died, 102 (64.2%) received palliative care consultation (median time: 44 days from the first consultation to death) and 78 (49.1%) received aggressive EOL care. Those receiving palliative care consultations were less likely to receive aggressive EOL care (83.3% vs 32.4%, P  < .001), and more likely to use more than 3 days of hospice care at EOL (19.6% vs 68.0%, P  < .001). Conclusions The right to self-determination remains poorly protected among patients with glioblastoma, with nearly 90% not self-completing AD or LST plan. As palliative care consultation is associated with less aggressive EOL care and longer use of hospice care, physicians should promptly introduce patients to ACP conversations and palliative care consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a summary of research studies on ameloblastoma, a benign odontogenic tumor that can cause bone destruction, paresthesia, and aesthetic deformity. The studies have explored the prevalence of the BRAF V600E mutation, which is frequently found in ameloblastomas and is associated with disordered cell growth. The mutation is present in various countries, with the highest incidence observed in the posterior region of the mandible. The studies also discuss the potential for therapies targeting the BRAF mutation to inhibit tumor progression. However, further research is needed to fully understand the impact of these findings on diagnosis, classification, and treatment of ameloblastoma. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Reprogramming of amino acid metabolism is relevant for initiating and fueling tumor formation and growth. Therefore, there has been growing interest in anticancer therapies targeting amino acid metabolism. While developing personalized therapeutic approaches to glioma, in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a valuable tool for non-invasive monitoring of tumor metabolism. Here, we evaluated MRS-detected brain amino acids and myo-inositol as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in glioma. Method: We measured alanine, glycine, glutamate, glutamine, and myo-inositol in 38 patients with MRI-suspected glioma using short and long echo-time single-voxel PRESS MRS sequences. The detectability of alanine, glycine, and myo-inositol and the (glutamate + glutamine)/total creatine ratio were evaluated against the patients' IDH mutation status, CNS WHO grade, and overall survival. Results: While the detection of alanine and non-detection of myo-inositol significantly correlated with IDH wildtype (p = 0.0008, p = 0.007, respectively) and WHO grade 4 (p = 0.01, p = 0.04, respectively), glycine detection was not significantly associated with either. The ratio of (glutamate + glutamine)/total creatine was significantly higher in WHO grade 4 than in 2 and 3. We found that the overall survival was significantly shorter in glioma patients with alanine detection (p = 0.00002). Conclusion: Focusing on amino acids in MRS can improve its diagnostic and prognostic value in glioma. Alanine, which is visible at long TE even in the presence of lipids, could be a relevant indicator for overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gliomas are primary brain tumors and are among the most malignant types. Adult‐type diffuse gliomas can be classified based on their histological and molecular signatures as IDH‐wildtype glioblastoma, IDH‐mutant astrocytoma, and IDH‐mutant and 1p/19q‐codeleted oligodendroglioma. Recent studies have shown that each subtype of glioma has its own specific distribution pattern. However, the mechanisms underlying the specific distributions of glioma subtypes are not entirely clear despite partial explanations such as cell origin. To investigate the impact of multi‐scale brain attributes on glioma distribution, we constructed cumulative frequency maps for diffuse glioma subtypes based on T1w structural images and evaluated the spatial correlation between tumor frequency and diverse brain attributes, including postmortem gene expression, functional connectivity metrics, cerebral perfusion, glucose metabolism, and neurotransmitter signaling. Regression models were constructed to evaluate the contribution of these factors to the anatomic distribution of different glioma subtypes. Our findings revealed that the three different subtypes of gliomas had distinct distribution patterns, showing spatial preferences toward different brain environmental attributes. Glioblastomas were especially likely to occur in regions enriched with synapse‐related pathways and diverse neurotransmitter receptors. Astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas preferentially occurred in areas enriched with genes associated with neutrophil‐mediated immune responses. The functional network characteristics and neurotransmitter distribution also contributed to oligodendroglioma distribution. Our results suggest that different brain transcriptomic, neurotransmitter, and connectomic attributes are the factors that determine the specific distributions of glioma subtypes. These findings highlight the importance of bridging diverse scales of biological organization when studying neurological dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived metrics mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in differentiating glioma recurrence from pseudoprogression. Methods: The Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, and the Web of Science were systematically searched. Study selection and data extraction were done by two investigators independently. The quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies was applied to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Combined sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE) and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results: Seven high-quality studies involving 246 patients were included. Quantitative synthesis of studies showed that the pooled SEN and SPE for MD were 0.81 (95% CI 0.70–0.88) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.70–0.90), respectively, and the value of the area under the SROC curve was 0.88 (95% CI 0.85–0.91). The pooled SEN and SPE for FA were 0.74 (95% CI 0.65–0.82) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.66–0.88), respectively, and the value of the area under the SROC curve was 0.84 (95% CI 0.80–0.87). Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that both MD and FA have a high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating glioma recurrence from pseudoprogression. Registration: PROSPERO protocol: CRD42024501146 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gliomas are the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumor, with a poor prognosis despite current treatment approaches. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying glioma development and progression is critical for improving therapies and patient outcomes. Methods: The current study comprehensively analyzed large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing of glioma samples. By utilizing a series of advanced computational methods, this integrative approach identified the gene UPP1 (Uridine Phosphorylase 1) as a novel driver of glioma tumorigenesis and immune evasion. Results: High levels of UPP1 were linked to poor survival rates in patients. Functional experiments demonstrated that UPP1 promotes tumor cell proliferation and invasion and suppresses anti-tumor immune responses. Moreover, UPP1 was found to be an effective predictor of mutation patterns, drug response, immunotherapy effectiveness, and immune characteristics. Conclusions: These findings highlight the power of combining diverse machine learning methods to identify valuable clinical markers involved in glioma pathogenesis. Identifying UPP1 as a tumor growth and immune escape driver may be a promising therapeutic target for this devastating disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioma is the predominant malignant brain tumor that lacks effective treatment options due to its shielding by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Astrocytes play a role in the development of glioma, yet the diverse cellular composition of astrocytoma has not been thoroughly researched. Methods: We examined the internal diversity of seven distinct astrocytoma subgroups through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), pinpointed crucial subgroups using CytoTRACE, monocle2 pseudotime analysis, and slingshot pseudotime analysis, employed various techniques to identify critical subgroups, and delved into cellular communication analysis. Then, we combined the clinical information of GBM patients and used bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq) to analyze the prognostic impact of the relevant molecules on GBM patients, and we performed in vitro experiments for validation. Results: The analysis of the current study revealed that C0 IGFBP7+ Glioma cells were a noteworthy subpopulation of astrocytoma, influencing the differentiation and progression of astrocytoma. A predictive model was developed to categorize patients into high- and low-scoring groups based on the IGFBP7 Risk Score (IGRS), with survival analysis revealing a poorer prognosis for the high-IGRS group. Analysis of immune cell infiltration, identification of genes with differential expression, various enrichment analyses, assessment of copy number variations, and evaluation of drug susceptibility were conducted, all of which highlighted their significant influence on the prognosis of astrocytoma. Conclusion: This research enhances comprehension of the diverse cell composition of astrocytoma, delves into the various factors impacting the prognosis of astrocytoma, and offers fresh perspectives on treating glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging is indispensable for the preoperative diagnosis of glioma. This study aimed to investigate the role of the apparent diffusion coefficient values as predictors of survival in patients with gliomas. Methods and materials: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 101 patients with gliomas who underwent surgery between 2015 and 2020. Diffusion-weighted MRI was performed before the surgery. The regions of interest were categorized into parenchymal area, non-enhancing peritumoral area, and necrotic or cystic area. All the patients were divided into three subgroups: the parenchyma group, the non-enhancing peritumoral signal abnormality group, and the necrosis or cyst group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using COX regression. Results: In the parenchymal group, Ki67, P53, IDH, and the high or low ADC values were identified as independent prognosticators for disease-free survival, while Ki67, IDH, and the high or low ADC values for overall survival. In the non-enhancing peritumoral signal abnormality group, Ki67, P53, IDH, and the ADC parenchymal area/ADC non−enhancing peritumoral area ratio were identified as independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival, while Ki67, IDH, and the ADC parenchymal area/ADC non−enhancing peritumoral area ratio for overall survival. In the necrosis or cyst group, Ki67 was significantly associated with disease-free survival, while Ki67 and the ADC value of the necrotic or cystic area for overall survival. Conclusions: The ADC values, including the ADC value in the parenchymal area, the ADC parenchymal area/ADC non−enhancing peritumoral area ratio, and the ADC value in the necrotic or cystic area, can serve as an efficient and potential index for predicting the survival of patients with glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scalable platform for cell typing in the glioma microenvironment can improve tumor subtyping and immune landscape detection as successful immunotherapy strategies continue to be sought and evaluated. DNA methylation (DNAm) biomarkers for molecular classification of tumor subtypes have been developed for clinical use. However, tools that predict the cellular landscape of the tumor are not well-defined or readily available. We developed the Glioma Immune Microenvironment Composition Calculator (GIMiCC), an approach for deconvolution of cell types in gliomas using DNAm data. Using data from 17 isolated cell types, we describe the derivation of the deconvolution libraries in the biological context of selected genomic regions and validate deconvolution results using independent datasets. We utilize GIMiCC to illustrate that DNAm-based estimates of immune composition are clinically relevant and scalable for potential clinical implementation. In addition, we utilize GIMiCC to identify composition-independent DNAm alterations that are associated with high immune infiltration. Our future work aims to optimize GIMiCC and advance the clinical evaluation of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Second and third surgeries were demonstrated as safe and efficient in recurrent diffuse low-grade glioma (LGG). Here, the feasibility of more than 3 resections is investigated. Methods: Patients who underwent 4 or 5 operations for recurrent initially WHO grade 2 IDH-mutated gliomas were consecutively selected. Results: Twenty-three operations were performed in five patients (all males, mean age 27.2 ± 4 years). Three patients underwent 5 surgeries and two patients underwent 4 surgeries. Twelve procedures (52%) were achieved with awake mapping, including all 4th and 5th operations but one. Repeat electrical mapping detected changes of the cortical maps between at least two awake surgeries in 4 patients. No patients experienced permanent neurological impairment (KPS score ≥ 80 in all cases). The patients returned to work after 22 surgeries among 23 (95.6%). There were 3 oligodendrogliomas and 2 astrocytomas (4 gliomas became malignant at fourth or fifth operation). Although the preoperative tumor volume significantly increased before the fourth (p = 0.026) and fifth operation (p = 0.003) compared with the first operation, there was no significant difference between the residual tumor volume after the fourth or fifth resection versus the first one. The mean delay was 10.6 ± 3.9 years before chemotherapy and 15.4 ± 3.4 years before radiotherapy (one patient never received adjuvant treatment after 21.5 years). The mean follow-up duration was 18.3 ± 3.1 years since the first surgery (2.3 ± 1.8 years since the last surgery). Three patients were still alive at last follow-up. Conclusions: This is the first series showing that to reoperate beyond three times is feasible with a low functional risk and a long survival in multiple LGG recurrences, with the use of awake mapping in 87.5% of 4th and 5th surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypermutation and malignant transformation are potential complications arising from temozolomide treatment of IDH‐mutant gliomas. However, the natural history of IDH‐mutant low‐grade gliomas without temozolomide treatment is actually under‐studied. We retrieved retrospectively from our hospitals paired tumors from 19 patients with IDH‐mutant, 1p19q non‐codeleted Grade 2 astrocytomas where no interim adjuvant treatment with either temozolomide or radiotherapy was given between primary resections and first recurrences. Tissues from multiple recurrences were available from two patients and radiotherapy but not temozolomide was given before the last specimens were resected. We studied the natural molecular history of these low‐grade IDH‐mutant astrocytomas without pressure of temozolomide with DNA methylation profiling and copy number variation (CNV) analyses, targeted DNA sequencing, TERTp sequencing, FISH for ALT and selected biomarkers. Recurrences were mostly higher grades (15/19 patients) and characterized by new CNVs not present in the primary tumors (17/19 cases). Few novel mutations were identified in recurrences. Tumors from 17/19 (89.5%) patients showed either CDKN2A homozygous deletion, MYC or PDGFRA focal and non‐focal gains at recurrences. There was no case of hypermutation. Phylogenetic trees constructed for tumors for the two patients with multiple recurrences suggested a lack of subclone development in their evolution when under no pressure from temozolomide. In summary, our studies demonstrated, in contrast to the phenomenon of temozolomide‐induced hypermutation, IDH‐mutant, 1p19q non‐codeleted Grade 2 astrocytomas which had not been treated by temozolomide, acquired new CNVs at tumor recurrences. These findings improve our understanding of the molecular life history of IDH‐mutant astrocytomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncostreams are self-organized structures formed by spindle-like, elongated, self-propelled cells recently described in glioblastomas and especially in gliosarcomas. Cells within these structures either move as large clusters in one main direction, flocks, or as linear, intermingling collections of cells advancing in opposite directions, streams. Round, passive cells are also observed, either inside or segregated from the oncostreams. Here we generalize a recently formulated particle-field approach to investigate the genesis and evolution of these structures, first showing that, in systems consisting only of identical self-propelled cells, both flocks and streams emerge as self-organized dynamic configurations. Flocks are the more stable configurations, while streams are transient and usually originate in collisions between flocks. Stream degradation is easier at low self-propulsion speeds. In systems consisting of both motile and passive cells, the latter block stream formation and accelerate their degradation and flock stabilization. Since the flock appears to be the most effective invasive structure, we thus argue that a phenotype mixture (motile and passive cells) may favor glioblastoma invasion. hlBy relating cellular properties to the observed outcome, our model shows that oncostreams are self-organized structures that result from the interplay between speed, shape, and steric repulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene are recognized as the key drivers in the oncogenesis of astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma. However, the significance of IDH mutation in tumor maintenance and malignant transformation has not been elucidated. We encountered a unique case of IDH-mutant astrocytoma that, upon malignant transformation, presented two distinct intratumoral components: one IDH-wildtype and one IDH-mutant. The IDH-wild-type component exhibited histological findings similar to those of small cell-type glioblastoma with a higher Ki-67 index than the IDH-mutant component. Despite their genetic divergence, both components exhibited similar comprehensive methylation profiles within the CpG island and were classified into methylation class of "Astrocytoma, IDH-mutant; High Grade" by the German Cancer Center (DKFZ) classifier v11.4. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the IDH-wildtype component emerged as a subclonal component of the primary tumor. Detailed molecular analyses revealed that the loss of the IDH mutation was induced by the hemizygous loss of the entire arm of chromosome 2, on which IDH1 gene is located. Notably, the IDH-wild-type subclones uniquely acquired CDKN2A/B homozygous deletion and PDGFRA amplification, which is a marker of the aggressive phenotype of astrocytoma, IDH-mutant. Because these genetic abnormalities can drive oncogenic pathways, such as the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RB signaling pathway, IDH-mutant gliomas that acquired these mutations were no longer dependent on the initial driver mutation, the IDH mutation. Molecular analysis of this unique case provides insight that in a subset of astrocytoma, IDH-mutant that acquired these genetic abnormalities, IDH mutation may not play a pivotal role in tumor growth and acquisition of these genetic abnormalities may contribute to the acquisition of resistance to IDH inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant tumours of the central nervous system (CNS), which are highly aggressive, with increasing morbidity and mortality rates year after year, posing a serious threat to the quality and expected survival time of patients. The treatment of gliomas is a major challenge in the field of neuro-oncology, especially high-grade gliomas such as glioblastomas (GBMs). Despite considerable progress in recent years in the study of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of GBMs, their prognosis remains bleak. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) account for up to 50% of GBMs, and they are a highly heterogeneous cell population whose role cannot be ignored. Here, we focus on reviewing the contribution of classically activated M1-phenotype TAMs and alternatively activated M2-phenotype TAMs to GBMs, and exploring the research progress in reprogramming M1 TAMs into M2 TAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-18, a member of the interleukin − 1 family of cytokines, is upregulated in glioma. However, its effects on glioma remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the role and underlying mechanisms of interleukin-18 expression in glioma. Here, we demonstrated that interleukin-18 enhanced resistance to temozolomide by increasing proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis in cultured glioma cells. Further in vivo studies revealed that interleukin-18 promoted temozolomide resistance in BALB/c nude mice bearing tumor. Mechanical exploration indicated that interleukin-18 stimulation could activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in glioma cells, and PI3K inhibition could reduce the temozolomide resistance promoted by interleukin-18. We found that interleukin-18 upregulated CD274 expression in glioma, revealing its potential effects on the microenvironment. Furthermore, we established a tumor xenograft model and explored the therapeutic efficacy of anti-interleukin-18 monoclonal antibody. Targeting interleukin-18 prolonged survival and attenuated CD274 expression in the mice bearing tumor. Combined treatment with anti-interleukin-18 and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody showed better efficacy in suppressing tumor growth than either treatment alone in mice bearing tumor. Collectively, these data present that interleukin-18 promotes temozolomide chemoresistance in glioma cells via PI3K/Akt activation and establishes an immunosuppressive milieu by modulating CD274. This study highlights the therapeutic value of interleukin-18 in glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunomodulatory therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, have drastically changed outcomes for certain cancer types over the last decade. Gliomas are among the cancers that have seem limited benefit from these agents, with most trials yielding negative results. The unique composition of the glioma immune microenvironment is among the culprits for this lack of efficacy. In recent years, several efforts have been made to improve understanding of the glioma immune microenvironment, aiming to pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions. In this review, we discuss some of the main components of the glioma immune microenvironment, including macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, neutrophils and microglial cells, as well as lymphocytes. We then provide a comprehensive overview of novel immunomodulatory agents that are currently in clinical development, namely oncolytic viruses, vaccines, cell-based therapies such as CAR-T cells and CAR-NK cells as well as antibodies and peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Radioresistance remains a significant challenge in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most prevalent and lethal brain cancer in adults. Metabolic alterations are known to contribute to radioresistance by activating antioxidant responses and promoting DNA repair. However, the role of circular RNAs in this process, particularly circFOXO3, is not well understood. Methods: In this study, we investigated the expression of circFOXO3 in glioma cells exposed to radiation and in recurrent GBM tissues. We performed knockdown and overexpression experiments in vitro and in vivo to assess the effects of circFOXO3 on radiosensitivity. Metabolomic profiling was conducted to explore the metabolic changes associated with circFOXO3 overexpression following irradiation. Results: Our results showed significant upregulation of circFOXO3 in glioma cells upon radiation exposure and in recurrent GBM tissues. Knockdown of circFOXO3 increased radiosensitivity both in vitro and in vivo, whereas overexpression of circFOXO3 attenuated radiosensitivity. Metabolomic analysis revealed substantial alterations in lipid and organic compound profiles between circFOXO3- overexpressing and control groups. Additionally, circFOXO3 suppression increased proapoptotic protein levels (Caspase 7 and Bax) and decreased antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 levels following radiotherapy. Discussion: These findings demonstrate the pivotal role of circFOXO3 in promoting tumor radioresistance through metabolic modulation, suggesting that circFOXO3 could serve as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gliomas are malignant tumors originating from both neuroglial cells and neural stem cells. The involvement of neural stem cells contributes to the tumor's heterogeneity, affecting its metabolic features, development, and response to therapy. This review provides a brief introduction to the importance of metabolism in gliomas before systematically categorizing them into specific groups based on their histological and molecular genetic markers. Metabolism plays a critical role in glioma biology, as tumor cells rely heavily on altered metabolic pathways to support their rapid growth, survival, and progression. Dysregulated metabolic processes, involving carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids not only fuel tumor development but also contribute to therapy resistance and metastatic potential. By understanding these metabolic changes, key intervention points, such as mutations in genes like RTK, EGFR, RAS, and IDH can be identified, paving the way for novel therapeutic strategies. This review emphasizes the connection between metabolic pathways and clinical challenges, offering actionable insights for future research and therapeutic development in gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intratumoral heterogeneity poses a significant challenge to the diagnosis and treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. This study addresses the need for non-invasive approaches to map heterogeneous landscape of histopathological alterations throughout the entire lesion for each patient. We developed BioNet, a biologically-informed neural network, to predict regional distributions of two primary tissue-specific gene modules: proliferating tumor (Pro) and reactive/inflammatory cells (Inf). BioNet significantly outperforms existing methods (p < 2e-26). In cross-validation, BioNet achieved AUCs of 0.80 (Pro) and 0.81 (Inf), with accuracies of 80% and 75%, respectively. In blind tests, BioNet achieved AUCs of 0.80 (Pro) and 0.76 (Inf), with accuracies of 81% and 74%. Competing methods had AUCs lower or around 0.6 and accuracies lower or around 70%. BioNet's voxel-level prediction maps reveal intratumoral heterogeneity, potentially improving biopsy targeting and treatment evaluation. This non-invasive approach facilitates regular monitoring and timely therapeutic adjustments, highlighting the role of ML in precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: We discuss the role of risk-stratification and personalized treatment for various pediatric cancer patients, with the goal being to improve tumor control and decrease late effects of radiation in long-term survivors. We discuss settings in which radiation can be safely omitted or de-escalated, such as Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms tumor with lung metastases and WNT pathway Medulloblastoma, and settings that warrant treatment escalation such as larger tumors with rhabdomyosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, poor responders to chemotherapy and oligometastatic disease settings. We also summarize currently enrolling COG and other cooperative group trials. While the cure rate of cancer in children has markedly improved in the last few decades, late effects continue to be a problem in survivors. Radiotherapy, which is a major component of treatment in many cancers, is one of the major agents responsible for late toxicity. In the past decade, radiotherapy has been omitted in patients achieving excellent response to chemotherapy, such as in Hodgkin lymphoma and some Wilms tumors with lung metastases. Likewise, response to chemotherapy has been used to determine whether lower doses of radiation can be delivered in intracranial germinoma and pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Molecular subtyping in medulloblastoma is currently being employed, and in WNT-pathway M0 tumors, the reduction in radiotherapy dose to the craniospinal axis and tumor bed is currently being investigated. Finally, dose escalation was recently evaluated in patients with rhabdomyosarcoma > 5 cm who do not achieve a complete response to initial 9 weeks of chemotherapy as well as for unresectable Ewing sarcoma patients to improve local control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study explored the current practices in the real world for grade 2 glioma, an uncommon primary brain cancer. Leveraging the prospective BRAIN registry, this study demonstrates that whilst sequential radiotherapy and chemotherapy improve progression-free survival in high-risk grade 2 glioma, the majority of patients are observed following surgery. In high-risk patients who are observed, 61% remain progression-free at 12 months, with 10% being progression-free at 5 years. This clinically meaningful progression-free survival suggests that validated biomarkers beyond the usual definition of high-risk are required to better inform patient management. Factors contributing to decision-making are underway. Background: Grade-2 gliomas (G2-glioma) are uncommon. In 2016, RTOG9802 established the addition of chemotherapy after radiation (CRT) as a new standard of care for patients with high-risk G2-glioma, defined as subtotal resection or age ≥40 yrs. Here, we report current practices using real-world data. Methods: Patients diagnosed with G2-glioma from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2022 were identified in BRAIN, a prospective clinical registry collecting data on patients with brain tumours. High- and low-risk were defined as per RTOG9802. Two time periods, January 2016–December 2019 (TP1) and January 2020–December 2022 (TP2), were defined. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: 224 patients were identified. Overall, 38 (17%) were low-risk, with 35 (91%) observed without further treatment. A total of 186 (83%) were high-risk, with 96 (52%) observed, 63 (34%) receiving CRT, and 19 (10%) receiving radiation. Over time, CRT use increased (TP1 vs. TP2: 22% vs. 36%, p = 0.004), and the rate of biopsy (TP1 vs. TP2: 35% vs. 20%, p = 0.02) and radiotherapy alone (TP1 vs. TP2: 14% vs. 4%, p = 0.01) decreased. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in high-risk patients who received CRT (NR) over observation (39 months) (HR 0.49, p = 0.007). In high-risk patients who were observed, 59 (61%) were progression-free at 12 months and 10 (10%) at 5 years. OS data remains immature. Conclusion: Congruent with RTOG9802, real-world BRAIN data shows CRT is associated with improved PFS compared to observation in high-risk G2-glioma. Whilst CRT use has increased over time, observation after surgery remains the most common strategy, with some high-risk patients achieving clinically meaningful PFS. Validated biomarkers are urgently required to better inform patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Glioblastoma (GBM) uses the Leloir pathway to catabolize D-Galactose (Gal) for tumor growth. Selective targeting of the Leloir pathway with Gal-based antimetabolites has potential for the treatment of GBM. Here, we tested the effect of a Gal-based antimetabolite, 4-deoxy-4-fluorogalactose (4DFG) on the viability and metabolism of GBM cells in culture. 4DFG is a good Glut3/Glut14 substrate and acts as a potent glioma chemotherapeutic. GBM cell cultures were used to examine toxicity and alterations in glycan composition. 4DFG is moderately potent against GBM cells in vitro (IC50: 125–300 µM). Glycosylation in GBM was disrupted by 4DFG. The effect of 4DFG on D-glucose (Glc) metabolism in GBM cells was assessed by using 13C NMR-based tracer studies. 13C-NMR-based metabolic flux analysis revealed that both glycolytic and mitochondrial metabolic fluxes of [U-13C]Glc were significantly decreased in the presence of 4DFG in GBM cells. Survival analysis in an intracranial mouse model during treatment with 4DFG (6 × 25 mg/kg of 4DFG, intravenously) showed improved outcomes by three-fold (p < 0.01). 4DFG is metabolized by GBM in vitro and in vivo, and is lethal to GBM tumors, but well tolerated in mice. A functional Gal-scavenging pathway in GBM allows Gal-based antimetabolites to act as chemotherapeutics. Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) uses Glut3 and/or Glut14 and the Leloir pathway to catabolize D-Galactose (Gal). UDP-4-deoxy-4-fluorogalactose (UDP-4DFG) is a potent inhibitor of the two key enzymes, UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (GALE) and UDP-Glucose 6-dehydrogenase (UGDH), involved in Gal metabolism and in glycan synthesis. The Gal antimetabolite 4-deoxy-4-fluorogalactose (4DFG) is a good substrate for Glut3/Glut14 and acts as a potent glioma chemotherapeutic. Methods: Primary GBM cell cultures were used to examine toxicity and alterations in glycan composition via lectin binding in fixed cells and by Western blots. Toxicity/efficacy in vivo data was performed in mouse flank and intracranial models. The effect of 4DFG on D-glucose (Glc) metabolism in GBM cells was assessed by using 13C NMR-based tracer studies. Results: 4DFG is moderately potent against GBM cells (IC50: 125–300 µM). GBM glycosylation is disrupted by 4DFG. Survival analysis in an intracranial mouse model showed that treatment with 4DFG (6 × 25 mg/kg of 4DFG, intravenously) improved outcomes by three-fold (p < 0.01). Metabolic flux analysis revealed that both glycolytic and mitochondrial metabolic fluxes of [U-13C]Glc were significantly decreased in the presence of 4DFG in GBM cells. Conclusion: A functional Gal-scavenging pathway in GBM allows Gal-based antimetabolites to act as chemotherapeutics. 4DFG is metabolized by GBM in vitro and in vivo, is lethal to GBM tumors, and is well tolerated in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Intracavitary chemotherapy by Carmustine wafer implantation represents a therapeutic option for the management of high-grade gliomas both at diagnosis and at progression. However, this strategy is very controversial as it can lead to potential complications and previous studies have raised doubts regarding its efficacy in terms of oncological outcomes. Moreover, the results associated with Carmustine wafer implantation have been more frequently studied at diagnosis than at progression. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to precisely identify the predictors of complications and onco-functional outcomes in a series of 53 patients with a high-grade glioma surgically managed at progression with implantation of Carmustine wafers. These analyses will help to better identify and select the patients who are the best candidates to receive Carmustine wafers at progression and to guide intraoperative and postoperative management. Background/Objectives: The aim was to determine the complication rate and the predictors of complications and survival in high-grade glioma surgically managed at progression with implantation of Carmustine wafers. Methods: A retrospective series of 53 consecutive patients operated on between 2017 and 2022 was built. Results: The median age was 55 ± 10.9 years. The rates of global and infectious complications were 35.8% and 18.9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, patients with a preoperative neurological deficit were more prone to develop a postoperative complication (HR = 5.35 95% CI 1.49–19.26, p = 0.01). No predictor of infectious complication was identified. In the grade 4 glioma subgroup (n = 44), progression-free and overall survival (calculated starting from the reresection) reached 3.95 months, 95% CI 2.92–5.21 and 11.51 months, 95% CI 9.11–17.18, respectively. Preoperative KPS > 80% (HR = 0.97 95% CI 0.93–0.99, p = 0.04), Gross Total Resection (HR = 0.38 95% CI 0.18–0.80, p = 0.01), and 3-month postoperative KPS > 80% (HR = 0.35 95% CI 0.17–0.72, p = 0.004) were predictors of prolonged overall survival. Conclusions: Surgical resection is a relevant option in high-grade gliomas at progression, especially in patients with a preoperative KPS > 80%, without preoperative neurological deficit, and amenable to complete resection. In patients elected for surgery, Carmustine wafer implantation is associated with a high rate of complications. It is consequently critical to closely monitor the patients for whom this option is chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Glioblastoma is known to be highly immunosuppressive in nature. Plasmacytoid dendritic cell infiltration is known to be associated with glioblastoma progression and promotes tumor immunosuppression. We provide important details to indicate that glioblastoma cell-secreted CCL21 plays a dual role both in recruiting plasmacytoid dendritic cells via binding to CCR7 and activating plasmacytoid dendritic cells through the CCR7/ACKR4—β-arrestin/CIITA pathway. Our result also provides a rationale to therapeutically target CCL21 as a potential novel treatment for glioblastoma. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that are traditionally divided into two distinct subsets: myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). pDCs are known for their ability to secrete large amounts of cytokine type I interferons (IFN- α). In our previous work, we have demonstrated that pDC infiltration promotes glioblastoma (GBM) tumor immunosuppression through decreased IFN-α secretion via TLR-9 signaling and increased suppressive function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) via increased IL-10 secretion, resulting in poor overall outcomes in mouse models of GBM. Further dissecting the overall mechanism of pDC-mediated GBM immunosuppression, in this study, we identified CCL21 as highly upregulated by multiple GBM cell lines, which recruit pDCs to tumor sites via CCL21-CCR7 signaling. Furthermore, pDCs are activated by CCL21 in the GBM microenvironment through intracellular signaling of β-arrestin and CIITA. Finally, we found that CCL21-treated pDCs directly suppress CD8+ T cell proliferation without affecting regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation, which is considered the canonical pathway of immunotolerant regulation. Taken together, our results show that pDCs play a multifaced role in GBM immunosuppression, and CCL21 could be a novel therapeutic target in GBM to overcome pDC-mediated immunosuppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This article herein presented explores the role of the epigenetic marker H3K27me3 in tumors of the Central Nervous System, highlighting its importance for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. H3K27me3 involves the trimethylation of lysine 27 on the histone H3 protein, which is essential for regulating gene activity and maintaining chromatin structure. A reduction in H3K27me3 levels is commonly seen in CNS tumors such as diffuse midline gliomas and meningiomas and is associated with more aggressive tumor behavior and a worse prognosis. This article emphasizes the utility of H3K27me3 loss in tumor diagnosis, prognosis, and the advancement of targeted therapies. Central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent a formidable clinical challenge due to their molecular complexity and varied prognostic outcomes. This review delves into the pivotal role of the epigenetic marker H3K27me3 in the development and treatment of CNS tumors. H3K27me3, specifically the trimethylation of lysine 27 on the histone H3 protein, plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression and maintaining chromatin architecture (e.g., in X-chromosome inactivation). Notably, a reduction in H3K27me3 levels, frequently tied to mutations in the H3 gene family such as H3F3A and HIST1H3B, is evident in diverse brain tumor variants, including the diffuse midline glioma characterized by the H3K27M mutation and certain pediatric high-grade gliomas. The loss of H3K27me3 has been linked to more aggressive behavior in meningiomas, with the trimethylation loss associated with significantly shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) among grade 2 meningiomas, albeit not within grade 1 tumors. Pediatric posterior fossa ependymomas characterized by a lowered H3K27me3 and DNA hypomethylation exhibit poor prognosis, underscoring the prognostic significance of these epigenetic alterations in CNS tumors. Comprehending the role of H3K27me3 in CNS tumors is vital for advancing diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions, with the goal of enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life. This review underscores the importance of ongoing investigations into H3K27me to refine and optimize management strategies for CNS tumors, paving the way for improved personalized medicine practices in oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vorasidenib (VORANIGO®; Servier) is an orally administered, first-in-class, highly brain-penetrant dual inhibitor of mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1/2) enzymes being developed for use in IDH-mutant diffuse glioma. Vorasidenib received its first approval on 6 August 2024, in the USA, for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with grade 2 astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with a susceptible IDH1 or IDH2 mutation following surgery, including biopsy, sub-total resection, or gross total resection. Approval was based on results from the multinational phase III INDIGO trial, in which vorasidenib significantly improved progression-free survival and time to the next anticancer intervention relative to placebo. In the EU and other countries worldwide, regulatory review of vorasidenib in IDH-mutant glioma is currently underway. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of vorasidenib leading to this first approval for glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]