A new Mayo Clinic study found that children with low-grade brain tumors (gliomas) who undergo aggressive surgery to completely remove the tumor have an increased chance of overall survival. If complete removal is not possible, adding radiation therapy to a less complete surgery provides patients with the same outcomes as a complete removal.
“This study further reinforces Mayo Clinic’s practice of aggressive surgical resection,” says Nadia Laack, M.D., a Mayo Clinic radiation oncologist and the study’s lead author. “This is great news for families because it shows that even if a complete surgery isn’t possible, adding radiation to a less than complete surgery reduces their chances of tumor progression to yield the same outcome as if there was a complete removal.”
This study was presented at the Society for NeuroOncology Annual Scientific Meeting and Education Day in Montreal on Nov. 21.
Below is a link to an edited youtube video in which Dr. Laack describes the findings in this study. Feel free to embed this video with your stories.
