Dr. Perry on Implications of WHO Tumor Classifications in Brain Cancer

Arie Perry, MD, chief of Neuropathology, University of California, San Francisco, discusses the potential implications of the new World Health Organization (WHO) central nervous system (CNS) tumor classifications.

Perry explains that the new classifications will likely not change the therapeutic approach significantly, but that the change could impact the overall prognosis. There is the possibility, he added, that if the classification system dramatically changes the expected survival for a patient with brain cancer that a treatment plan could be altered in order to compensate. For pediatric tumors, depending on the individual cancer, treatment could also be altered dramatically, in terms of less aggressive or more aggressive treatments based on expected long-term outcomes.

Lastly, the genetic aspect of brain cancer should also be taken into consideration, Perry notes. The classifications identify germline mutations, in pediatric cancer, that affect the patient's family, in terms of the identification of hereditary tumors. This may identify other family members who are at increased risk for developing cancer.

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