Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. This malignant tumor of the cerebellum commonly affects children and is believed to arise from the precursor cells of the external granule layer or neuroepithelial cells from the cerebellar ventricular zone of the developing cerebellum. The standard treatment, consisting of surgery, craniospinal radiotherapy and chemotherapy, still provides a poor overall survival for infants and young children. Furthermore, the dose of radiation that can be safely given without causing extensive neurocognitive and endocrinologic sequelae is limited. Therefore, understanding the oncogenic pathways that lead to medulloblastoma, as well as the identification of specific molecular targets with significant therapeutic implications in order to develop new strategies for therapy, is crucial to improve patient survival without substantially increasing toxicity. In this review, we discuss recent therapeutics for treating medulloblastoma, focusing on new molecular targets, as well as advances in translational studies for the treatment of this malignancy.
Keywords: Medulloblastoma, CNS tumor, cancer therapies, molecular targets, translational studies
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets
Title: Recent Therapeutic Advances for Treating Medulloblastoma: Focus on New Molecular Targets
Volume: 9 Issue: 3
Author(s): A.L. Schmidt, A.L. Brunetto, G. Schwartsmann, R. Roesler and A.L. Abujamra
Affiliation:
Keywords: Medulloblastoma, CNS tumor, cancer therapies, molecular targets, translational studies
Abstract: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. This malignant tumor of the cerebellum commonly affects children and is believed to arise from the precursor cells of the external granule layer or neuroepithelial cells from the cerebellar ventricular zone of the developing cerebellum. The standard treatment, consisting of surgery, craniospinal radiotherapy and chemotherapy, still provides a poor overall survival for infants and young children. Furthermore, the dose of radiation that can be safely given without causing extensive neurocognitive and endocrinologic sequelae is limited. Therefore, understanding the oncogenic pathways that lead to medulloblastoma, as well as the identification of specific molecular targets with significant therapeutic implications in order to develop new strategies for therapy, is crucial to improve patient survival without substantially increasing toxicity. In this review, we discuss recent therapeutics for treating medulloblastoma, focusing on new molecular targets, as well as advances in translational studies for the treatment of this malignancy.
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Schmidt A.L., Brunetto A.L., Schwartsmann G., Roesler R. and Abujamra A.L., Recent Therapeutic Advances for Treating Medulloblastoma: Focus on New Molecular Targets, CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 2010; 9 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152710791292602
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152710791292602 |
Print ISSN 1871-5273 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1996-3181 |
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