About this Research Topic
Pediatric neuro-oncology handles a large variety of disease entities including central nervous system (CNS) tumors of glial origin, embryonal origin, and germ cell origin and so forth. Because recent developments in cancer genetics and molecular biology are changing the diagnostic process from morphological base to genetic base, more precise subclassification of pediatric central nervous system tumors are being built in the newest WHO classification. This paradigm shift not only alters the traditional risk-based approach using cytotoxic chemotherapy but also generates opportunities to use novel molecular targeting agents which fit to individual cancerous mutations. Moreover, brand-new technologies such as virotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, and tumor-treating field therapy, most of which had been established in adult patients, are being investigated in pediatrics. Pediatric neuro-oncologists should always continue to update their expertise in both multiple target diseases and multiple treatment options for them.
Treatment paradigms are dramatically changing in the era of precision medicine. However, most of the novel treatment options are still under development and possibly immature for constituting standard of care for pediatric patients. In order to provide an appropriate treatment for patients in front of us, balanced and comprehensive expertise in developmental therapeutics is necessary. Because pediatric neuro-oncology contains a wide variety of disease entities, subtopics were chosen to fit each disease entities. In highly chemo-sensitive tumors such as medulloblastoma and germ cell tumor, risk-based treatment strategy using conventional chemotherapy should be appropriate. Therefore, well organized review articles are desirable in this area. In gliomas (including diffuse pontine glioma), numbers of novel experimental therapeutics are being utilized. Therefore, original research articles handling such topics would mainly be collected. In terms of original articles in surgery and radiotherapy, it is important to focus on their safety regarding long-term quality of life in pediatric patients. Precision medicine is too new to gather a large series of patients especially in pediatric neuro-oncology.
In this Research Topic, we would like to focus on clinical aspects of developmental therapeutics. Articles may cover either novel treatment strategies based on novel diagnostic criteria (i.e.; molecular and genetic classification) or novel therapeutic agents or devices which are currently in the late-phase of development (close to approval by FDA or equivalents). We propose following themes, but will accept other interesting themes as far as according to the title, “Developmental therapeutics in pediatric neuro-oncology.”
1. Appropriate treatment strategy for each subtype of medulloblastoma
2. Risk-based treatment alternation for germ cell tumor
3. Novel treatments for diffuse pontine glioma
4. Novel treatments for malignant gliomas including virotherapy, tumor-treating fields therapy, or others
5. Less toxic radiation procedures such as stereotactic radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and proton-beam therapy
6. Maximal safe surgical procedures in pediatric neuro-oncology
7. Application of precision medicine for pediatric neuro-oncology
Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) will not be accepted in Frontiers in Oncology
Treatment paradigms are dramatically changing in the era of precision medicine. However, most of the novel treatment options are still under development and possibly immature for constituting standard of care for pediatric patients. In order to provide an appropriate treatment for patients in front of us, balanced and comprehensive expertise in developmental therapeutics is necessary. Because pediatric neuro-oncology contains a wide variety of disease entities, subtopics were chosen to fit each disease entities. In highly chemo-sensitive tumors such as medulloblastoma and germ cell tumor, risk-based treatment strategy using conventional chemotherapy should be appropriate. Therefore, well organized review articles are desirable in this area. In gliomas (including diffuse pontine glioma), numbers of novel experimental therapeutics are being utilized. Therefore, original research articles handling such topics would mainly be collected. In terms of original articles in surgery and radiotherapy, it is important to focus on their safety regarding long-term quality of life in pediatric patients. Precision medicine is too new to gather a large series of patients especially in pediatric neuro-oncology.
In this Research Topic, we would like to focus on clinical aspects of developmental therapeutics. Articles may cover either novel treatment strategies based on novel diagnostic criteria (i.e.; molecular and genetic classification) or novel therapeutic agents or devices which are currently in the late-phase of development (close to approval by FDA or equivalents). We propose following themes, but will accept other interesting themes as far as according to the title, “Developmental therapeutics in pediatric neuro-oncology.”
1. Appropriate treatment strategy for each subtype of medulloblastoma
2. Risk-based treatment alternation for germ cell tumor
3. Novel treatments for diffuse pontine glioma
4. Novel treatments for malignant gliomas including virotherapy, tumor-treating fields therapy, or others
5. Less toxic radiation procedures such as stereotactic radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and proton-beam therapy
6. Maximal safe surgical procedures in pediatric neuro-oncology
7. Application of precision medicine for pediatric neuro-oncology
Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) will not be accepted in Frontiers in Oncology
Keywords: Medulloblastoma, DIPG, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Precision Medicine, Treatment
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
