US Study Says Third Course of Radiation Therapy May Improve Survival and Symptoms in Children with Recurrent DIPG

According to news from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States on September 2, researchers at the institution released a new study on re-irradiation for recurrent diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The study shows that carefully selected pediatric patients who receive a third course of radiation therapy after disease recurrence may achieve symptom relief, improved quality of life, and potentially prolonged survival. The related study has been published in Practical Radiation Oncology.

DIPG is a highly aggressive pediatric brain tumor that occurs in the brainstem region. The brainstem controls critical life functions such as breathing and movement, so the tumor usually cannot be removed surgically. Data show that DIPG mainly affects children aged 5 to 10, and even with treatment, most children survive about 12 to 14 months after diagnosis.

Radiation therapy remains one of the standard treatments for DIPG and can slow tumor progression and improve symptoms for a certain period of time. For patients with recurrence, a second course of radiation therapy is used in some clinical practices. However, whether a third course of radiation therapy can be given had previously lacked sufficient evidence due to concerns about damage to healthy brain tissue.

This study integrated the clinical experience of Mount Sinai Hospital and published cases worldwide. The researchers reviewed all publicly reported cases of patients with recurrent DIPG who received three courses of radiation therapy, and included two patients treated at Mount Sinai. The final analysis included a total of 12 patients, making it the largest case review to date on three-course re-irradiation for this rare pediatric brain tumor.

The study results showed that the median survival from diagnosis among the included patients was 27 months, which is higher than the survival typically reported for DIPG. Multiple patients showed significant improvement in neurological symptoms and quality of life after additional radiation therapy. The research team believes that for carefully selected patients, a third course of radiation therapy may provide clinical benefit without causing unacceptable side effects.

The researchers also emphasized that the study is a retrospective analysis, and because DIPG is rare, the number of included cases remains limited. Larger prospective studies are still needed in the future to clarify which patients are most likely to benefit from multiple courses of re-irradiation and to further optimize safe doses and treatment regimens. The Mount Sinai team plans to conduct prospective clinical research to continue evaluating the effects of multiple courses of re-irradiation in treating recurrent DIPG.