Assessment of Brain Tumor Response: RANO and Its Offspring.

OPINION STATEMENT: Treatment options for most nervous system tumors remain limited and patients are often confronted with significant morbidity and reduced life expectancy. However, significant efforts are underway to find more effective therapies for patients with primary and secondary brain tumors. As more and more clinical trials for nervous system tumors are being conducted, it is increasingly important to optimize the conduct of clinical trials in neuro-oncology. One of the key aspects in this regard is the development of objective and standardized criteria that allow for accurate response assessment in clinical trials and prevent the misclassification of responders and non-responders. Such misclassification may lead to premature discontinuation of an actually effective agent, thereby withholding a potentially active treatment from the patient. Conversely, patients may be inappropriately continued on an inactive treatment. Moreover, such misclassification may confound the data obtained in such studies and may lead to false conclusions with regards to the efficacy of the investigated drug. Therefore, reliable response assessment criteria are necessary that not only accurately capture radiographic changes but also account for treatment-related changes and incorporate the assessment of clinical status and quality of life (QoL). The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) working group is an international collaboration of neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, and regulatory groups (among others) commissioned to develop objective and tumor-specific response criteria for various tumor subtypes. This article reviews the currently available response criteria for high-grade glioma, low-grade glioma, and brain metastases and discusses some of the barriers to accurate assessment of treatment response in neuro-oncology.

Adult brainstem gliomas.

Brainstem gliomas in adults are a rare and heterogeneous group of brain tumors that vary with regard to underlying pathology, radiographic appearance, clinical course and prognosis. Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas represent the most common subtype. Although still considered aggressive and most often lethal, these brain tumors are associated with a more insidious clinical course and more favorable prognosis compared to the highly aggressive form in children. Treatment options for patients with brainstem gliomas still are limited and insufficiently studied. A better understanding of the pathobiology of these tumors will be crucial for the development of more specific and effective therapies. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2799-2809. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Necrosis cerebral por radiación: desafío diagnóstico y tratamiento clínico / Cerebral radiation necrosis: diagnostic challenge and clinical management

La radioterapia cerebral es una de las piedras angulares del tratamiento de numerosos tumores cerebrales primarios y metastásicos. Pese a ello, aparte de su efecto terapéutico deseado sobre las células tumorales, una parte sustancial de los pacientes sufre efectos secundarios de carácter neurotóxico a consecuencia de su aplicación. La necrosis por radiación puede provocar síntomas neurológicos y cambios radiográficos progresivos. Diferenciarla de la progresión tumoral en las imágenes puede llegar a ser un verdadero reto, dada la similitud que en ocasiones presentan las características de la resonancia magnética en ambas situaciones. Por esa razón, a veces es necesario recurrir a la biopsia quirúrgica y la confirmación histopatológica para confirmar el diagnóstico y orientar el tratamiento. Existen opciones eficaces de tratamiento para la necrosis cerebral por radiación y los pacientes con síntomas deben recibirlas. Es preciso ampliar el conocimiento sobre los procesos celulares y moleculares que se esconden detrás del desarrollo de la necrosis por radiación si se quiere prevenir y minimizar la morbilidad asociada a ella y mejorar las estrategias terapéuticas disponibles (AU)

Cerebral radiation is an indispensable cornerstone in the treatment of many primary and metastatic brain tumors. However, besides its desired therapeutic effect on tumor cells, a significant proportion of patients will experience neurotoxic side effects as the consequence of radiotherapy. Radiation necrosis can result in progressive neurological symptoms and radiographic changes. To differentiate radiation necrosis from progressive tumor based on imaging can pose a diagnostic challenge because the MRI characteristics may be similar in both situations. Therefore, surgical biopsy and pathological confirmation is sometimes necessary to guide further management. Effective treatment options for cerebral radiation necrosis exist and should be offered to symptomatic patients. A better understanding of the cellular and molecular processes underlying the development of radiation necrosis is necessary to prevent and minimize radiationassociated morbidity and to improve treatment strategies (AU)

PLEKHA5: A Key to Unlock the Blood-Brain Barrier?

Brain metastases represent a devastating complication of melanoma. Our understanding of the mechanisms driving metastasis to the brain is limited. PLEKHA5 functions as a regulator of brain metastasis in melanoma, and further investigation is warranted to explore the use of PLEKHA5 as a potential therapeutic target.