Ricerc@Sapienza

Pediatric low grade gliomas (pLGG) are the most common central nervous system (CNS) tumors accounting for 30% of primary brain tumors below the age of 18 years.
Surgical resection is the first-line treatment and has been associated with a good long-term prognosis. However, their site of onset has a major impact on outcome, since it determines the tumor¿s resectability. About 30% of pLGG are located in areas of the brain (supratentorial/midline), where only a partial resection is feasible. Unfortunately, after partial resection, 30% of pLGG tumors relapse or progress. These tumors are treated with conventional chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, treatments that are associated with detrimental consequences and substantial long-term toxicity. Moreover, pLGG can rarely present with metastases at the time of diagnosis and transform in high grade gliomas.
A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning these tumors will contribute to the stratification of the patients into prognostic risk categories that will help in avoiding unnecessary treatments. Therefore the main purpose of this project is to unveil biological information as well as to provide tools useful for the development of new targeted therapies. This proposal is based on preliminary results and the state of the art in pLGG research, suggesting the role of epigenetics and tumor microenvironment in the different behavior of pLGG tumors.
The proposed research will have an impact on cancer since it aims to identify innovative ¿integrated¿ features of pLGG maintenance to improve diagnosis and classification and ultimately provide insights for the development of targeted therapies.