Molecular Subgroups of Medulloblastoma: the Current Consensus

Overview

Journal Acta Neuropathol

Specialty Neurology

Date 2011 Dec 3

PMID 22134537

Citations 931

Authors

Michael D Taylor

Paul A Northcott

Andrey Korshunov

Marc Remke

Yoon-Jae Cho

Steven C Clifford

Charles G Eberhart

D Williams Parsons

Stefan Rutkowski

Amar Gajjar

David W Ellison

Peter Lichter

Richard J Gilbertson

Scott L Pomeroy

Marcel Kool

Stefan M Pfister

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Medulloblastoma, a small blue cell malignancy of the cerebellum, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric oncology. Current mechanisms for clinical prognostication and stratification include clinical factors (age, presence of metastases, and extent of resection) as well as histological subgrouping (classic, desmoplastic, and large cell/anaplastic histology). Transcriptional profiling studies of medulloblastoma cohorts from several research groups around the globe have suggested the existence of multiple distinct molecular subgroups that differ in their demographics, transcriptomes, somatic genetic events, and clinical outcomes. Variations in the number, composition, and nature of the subgroups between studies brought about a consensus conference in Boston in the fall of 2010. Discussants at the conference came to a consensus that the evidence supported the existence of four main subgroups of medulloblastoma (Wnt, Shh, Group 3, and Group 4). Participants outlined the demographic, transcriptional, genetic, and clinical differences between the four subgroups. While it is anticipated that the molecular classification of medulloblastoma will continue to evolve and diversify in the future as larger cohorts are studied at greater depth, herein we outline the current consensus nomenclature, and the differences between the medulloblastoma subgroups.

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