Weill Medical College of Cornell University

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Pediatric Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors

Weill Cornell's Pediatric Brain Tumor Program is a multidisciplinary effort directed by highly trained clinicians with specific areas of expertise. From the moment of diagnosis, a program team – most often a neurologist, radiation therapist, neuroendocrinologist, and oncologist – join the neurosurgeon in developing a treatment plan. Together the team will select and manage the most effective combination of therapies for each patient. The team is committed to getting their young patients back to their normal childhoods – that means maximizing the impact of treatment while reducing potential risks so that the children can have an optimal prognosis for normal growth, sexual maturity, and cognitive performance.

At the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, advanced drug therapies are now being used in a study for children with malignancies of the central nervous system. In addition, studies are currently being conducted on novel approaches to treatment of pediatric tumors. Read more about an See below for news about a milestone clinical trial that will test an innovative treatment option for inoperable brain tumors in children, and find out how you can help.

Milestone Clinical Trial Approved for DIPG

Dr. Mark Souweidane, Director of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, has received FDA approval for a clinical trial for young patients diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). Dr. Souweidane is the Principal Investigator on the clinical trial, which will use a novel surgical technique (convection-enhanced delivery, or CED) to deliver a tumor-fighting agent directly to the site of the glioma, bypassing the blood-brain barrier that prevents most drugs from reaching these deadly brain stem cancers in children. Read more about the clinical trial

The Children's Brain Tumor Project

The Children's Brain Tumor Project was founded in 2011 by the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, under the direction of research scientist and neurosurgeon Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield. The project owes its genesis to Elizabeth Minter, whose battle with the rare and inoperable gliomatosis cerebri inspired Dr. Greenfield to undertake his vision for this groundbreaking research initiative.

The Children's Brain Tumor Project has a single goal: to bring hope to the hundreds of patients and families each year who confront these heartbreaking diagnoses. Gliomatosis cerebri and DIPG are just two examples of the devastating brain tumors that typically strike children, adolescents, and young adults. Because they are so rare, these inoperable tumors simply do not get the funding or attention that research scientists need to find a cure.

Read more about the Children's Brain Tumor Project on the Elizabeth's Hope website.

Find out how you can help support our research, and help kids get back to being kids