Refined brain tumor diagnostics and stratified therapies: the requirement for a multidisciplinary approach

Abstract

Individualized therapies are popular current concepts in oncology and first steps towards stratified medicine have now been taken in neurooncology through implementation of stratified therapeutic approaches. Knowledge about the molecular basis of brain tumors has expanded greatly in recent years and a few molecular alterations are studied routinely because of their clinical relevance. However, no single targeted agent has yet been fully approved for the treatment of glial brain tumors. In this review, we argue that multidisciplinary and integrated approaches are essential for translational research and the development of new treatments for patients with malignant gliomas, and we present a conceptual framework in which to place the components of such an interdisciplinary approach. We believe that this ambitious goal can be best realized through strong cooperation of brain tumor centers with local hospitals and physicians; such an approach enables close dialogue between expert subspecialty clinicians and local therapists to consider all aspects of this increasingly complex set of diseases.