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Childhood medulloblastoma: novel approaches to the classification of a heterogeneous disease

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Abstract

Increasing recognition of pediatric medulloblastoma as a heterogeneous disease, with histopathological and molecular variants that have distinct biological behaviors, will impact how the disease is classified and treated. A combination of clinicopathological evaluation and assays based on molecular subgroups of disease will allow stratification of patients into risk groups and a more tailored approach to therapy. Patients with low-risk disease could be treated with de-escalated adjuvant therapy to maximize cure while reducing long-term adverse effects, and novel therapies could be sought for patients with high-risk disease. My review encompasses a brief overview of the clinical landscape, the current World Health Organization (WHO) classification of medulloblastoma, the status of molecular subgroups, and how potential stratification schemes might impact pathologists and their practice.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr. Stefan Rutkowski (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf) and Drs. Stacey Ogden and Peter McKinnon (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) for advice.

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I have no conflict of interest to declare.

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  1. Department of Pathology MS# 250, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN, 38103, USA

    David W. Ellison

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Correspondence to David W. Ellison.

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Ellison, D.W. Childhood medulloblastoma: novel approaches to the classification of a heterogeneous disease. Acta Neuropathol 120, 305–316 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-010-0726-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-010-0726-6

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