Researchers Extend D.M.G. Survival Beyond 1 Year With Mutation-Targeted Therapies
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16
Researchers Extend D.M.G. Survival Beyond 1 Year With Mutation-Targeted Therapies
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16
Summary
Diffuse midline glioma patients are beginning to live beyond the roughly one-year survival once typical for the deadliest pediatric brain cancer, as researchers report treatments that can slow the disease.
Recent progress came from identifying a genetic mutation that underlies many D.M.G. cases and testing therapies aimed at its effects, shifting the field beyond radiation-only care.
Radiation had long offered only temporary symptom relief—such as easing weakness or double vision—before the tumor returned and patients died soon after.
A small number of patients are now surviving for several years, an early but notable change that researchers say marks the first measurable survival gains in D.M.G.