Chaperonology: The Third Eye on Brain Gliomas.

Francesca Graziano,Albert Macario,Domenico Iacopino,A Gammazza,Claudia Campanella,Rosario Maugeri,Francesco Cappello,C Bavisotto,Francesca Rappa,Everly De Macario

doi:10.3390/brainsci8060110

Abstract

The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/National Cancer Institute of Canada Phase III trial has validated as a current regimen for high-grade gliomas (HGG) a maximal safe surgical resection followed by radiotherapy with concurrent temozolamide. However, it is essential to balance maximal tumor resection with preservation of the patient’s neurological functions. Important developments in the fields of pre-operative and intra-operative neuro-imaging and neuro-monitoring have ameliorated the survival rate and the quality of life for patients affected by HGG. Moreover, even though the natural history remains extremely poor, advancement in the molecular and genetic fields have opened up new potential frontiers in the management of this devastating brain disease. In this review, we aim to present a comprehensive account of the main current pre-operative, intra-operative and molecular approaches to HGG with particular attention to specific chaperones, also called heat shock proteins (Hsps), which represent potential novel biomarkers to detect and follow up HGG, and could also be therapeutic agents.

Highlights

Gliomas and other neuroepithelial tumors make up 49% of primary brain tumors, and meningiomas are the most frequent histologic type (27%) [1,2].Glioma tumor cells display histological similarities to normal glial cells, including astrocytes and oligodendrocytes
Our research of the public databases, mainly PubMed, was initiated on 1 January 2018 with the aim of identifying all studies related to pre-operative neuro-radiological evaluation, to the intra-operative and post-operative molecular assessment in patients affected by high-grade gliomas (HGG)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a largely available clinical tool for the pre-surgical evaluation of functional areas prior to brain tumor surgery. It is a non-invasive brain-mapping method to guide neurosurgical treatment decisions. fMRI pinpoints functional networks involved in a determined function such as a motor or language tasks

Summary

Introduction

Gliomas and other neuroepithelial tumors make up 49% of primary brain tumors, and meningiomas are the most frequent histologic type (27%) [1,2]. Glioma tumor cells display histological similarities to normal glial cells, including astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. They are classified as astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, or oligoastrocytoma. The 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) classification categorized gliomas as low-grade (WHO grade I and II) and high-grade (WHO grade III and IV). More than half of all gliomas are GBM (glioblastomas multiforme) (WHO grade IV astrocytoma). Brain Sci. 2018, 8, 110; doi:10.3390/brainsci8060110 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci

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