What makes ependymoma in infants different?

Ependymoma is a type of brain tumour that occurs in all age groups. Current treatment includes surgery followed by radiotherapy, but some scientists argue that chemotherapy has a role to play in the treatment of young children with ependymoma.  

Ependymoma, especially in children younger than three years, is difficult to treat. Radiotherapy, which is often used after surgery, can have serious long-term side effects. These side effects range from mild learning disabilities to poor growth and hormone problems. The risk of side effects has meant doctors are trying to avoid radiotherapy or delay it until the child is older. 

Despite all these efforts, young children with ependymoma still have poorer outcomes than older children. The research team at the University of Nottingham, led by Dr Rob Dineen, wants to try and find out why. They hope to find the answers by looking at the molecular biology (or makeup) of ependymoma tumours. One of the problems with trying to study infant ependymoma is that there is not much data – a Canadian study found that out of one million children under the age of three, only 46 will get ependymoma. This means that researchers don’t know much about what makes these young children different from older children and young adults with ependymoma. 

This research project aims to find what is unique about infant ependymoma tumours by looking at existing MRI scans and assessing tumour samples. Methods will include sequencing the tumour’s DNA and seeing what genes are expressed. Dr Rob Dineen hopes that a better understanding of the biology of infant ependymoma will help patients into clinical trials or future combination therapies, and improve the overall survival of young children with ependymomas.