NEURO-ONCOLOGY
Advances and Answers in Pediatric Health
3 Studies In : Novel Treatments in Neuro-Oncology
Can collaboration propel treatment options for central nervous system tumors to new heights ?
NATHAN DAHL , MD
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology , Children ’ s Hospital Colorado
Assistant professor , Pediatrics-Heme / Onc and Bone Marrow Transplantation , University of Colorado School of Medicine
Neuro-oncologists Jean Mulcahy Levy , MD , Sujatha Venkataraman , PhD , and Nathan Dahl , MD , are part of a team of researchers and clinicians united under one goal : the determined pursuit of new solutions to some of the most devastating pediatric cancers out there . Each is independently working on a variety of new therapies that stretch beyond traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation . But their real strength comes in the power of their collaboration .
Together , the researchers on the Children ’ s Hospital Colorado neuro-oncology team , known as the Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Tumor Research Program , are working to combat some of the scariest diagnoses a family can receive and approaching them from a variety of angles to improve not only survival , but quality of life .
One such diagnosis is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma , or DIPG . This high-grade glioma , typically nestled within a region of the brainstem known as the pons , is 100 % fatal within five years ; most patients don ’ t live longer than 11 months after diagnosis . Currently , the only treatment physicians pursue for DIPG is radiation , and even that is just a palliative measure .
Another tumor , atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor , or ATRT , is a rare , aggressive tumor that is most often seen in the cerebellum . Most kids with ATRT are diagnosed before they reach their third birthday , and the disease has only a 30 % survival rate .
The typical solutions to problems like these , chemotherapy and radiation , either aren ’ t working , or aren ’ t working well enough , pushing researchers toward creative solutions . That creativity thrives with collaboration and has driven a team-oriented approach at Children ’ s Colorado .
“ One of the main reasons that I chose to come here , to stay here and set up my lab here is that the environment of collaboration amplifies what I am able to do . There are plenty of places where each researcher kind of lives in a silo to themselves . We share data , we share ideas , we share models , we talk ,” Dr . Dahl says . “ All of us are able to do much more and do things much better with stronger conclusions and stronger results because we rely on each other .”
These cancers are catastrophic to children and families , and right now , there ’ s little hope available . By working in concert with each other , this trio of neuro-oncologists are making new strides that could forever alter pediatric cancer treatment and save lives .
JEAN MULCAHY LEVY , MD
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology , Children ’ s Hospital Colorado
Assistant professor , Pediatrics-Heme / Onc and Bone Marrow Transplantation , University of Colorado School of Medicine
SUJATHA VENKATARAMAN , PhD
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology , Children ’ s Hospital Colorado
Assistant research professor , Pediatrics-Heme / Onc and Bone Marrow Transplantation , University of Colorado School of Medicine
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