Pilocytic astrocytoma

Pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are the most common glioma in children. While many PAs are slow growing or clinically indolent, others exhibit more aggressive features with tumor recurrence and death. In order to identify genetic signatures that might predict PA clinical behavior, we performed gene expression profiling on 41 primary PAs arising sporadically and in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). While no expression signature was found that could discriminate clinically-aggressive or recurrent tumors from more indolent cases, PAs arising in patients with NF1 did exhibit a unique gene expression pattern. In addition, we identified a gene expression signature that stratified PAs by location (supratentorial versus infratentorial).

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Sharma MK, Mansur DB, Reifenberger G, Perry A, Leonard JR, Aldape KD, Albin MG, Emnett RJ, Loeser S, Watson MA, Nagarajan R, Gutmann DH