Why haven?t we solved intracranial pediatric ependymoma? Current questions and barriers to treatment advances.

Pediatric intracranial ependymoma has seen a recent exponential expansion of biological findings, rapidly divid-ing the diagnosis into several subgroups, each with specific molecular and clinical characteristics. While such subdivision may complicate clinical conclusions from historical trials, this knowledge also provides an opportu-nity for interrogating the major clinical and biological questions preventing near-term translation into effective therapy for children with ependymoma. In this article, we briefly review some of the most critical clinical ques-tions facing both patient management and the construct of future trials in childhood ependymoma, as well as explore some of the current barriers to efficient translation of preclinical discovery to the clinic.

Automated summary

Pediatric intracranial ependymoma has been divided into subgroups based on specific molecular and clinical characteristics, providing an opportunity for investigating clinical and biological questions for effective therapy. This article reviews critical clinical questions and barriers to efficient translation of preclinical discovery to the clinic in childhood ependymoma research.