by Shelley Pressley

The Society for Neuro-Oncology Launches Virtual Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board Series

Shelley Pressley, MBA, CMP, Director of Administration

Society for Neuro-Oncology

There has been an explosion of knowledge regarding the biological nature of brain tumors arising in infants, children, and the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population over the last ten to fifteen years, with an increasing number of molecular types and sub-types of brain tumors being recognized . As historical brain tumor diagnoses are now being refined and replaced with new molecular types of brain tumors, molecularly annotated clinical data to inform the best standard of care therapy, particularly for more rare types of tumors, are critically lacking .

Thus, the prescribed therapy for patients, with the same rare tumor histology, can often vary depending on the treating institutions or region of the world, making direct comparisons and establishing uniform medical patient management guidelines challenging . Based on age at diagnosis and location of the tumor, even the more common pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors can present unique surgical and medical challenges, requiring the need for complex multi-disciplinary care to achieve best patient outcomes . Furthermore, with improved molecular knowledge, has come an increasing cadre of novel targeted therapies that a pediatric brain tumor doctor needs to keep in their armamentarium .

SNO’s Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board Series With the intent to “learn from every child with a brain tumor diagnosis, anywhere in the world”, the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Pediatric Special Interest Track has launched the Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board Series with the objective to advance education on clinical management of pediatric brain tumor patients in the molecular era . The SNO Tumor Board aims have been created to provide a live forum to share clinical expertise and patient-based experiences by bringing together multi-disciplinary clinical experts in pediatric diagnostic imaging, pathology, surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology and clinical scientists . These specialists participate in an in-depth round-table discussion on all aspects of patient care, including medical approaches, use of conventional and ➤

SNO Board member and Pediatric Track co-lead, Annie Huang, MD, PhD Junior tumor board co-chair, Craig Erker, MD, MS Junior tumor board co-chair, Holly Lindsay, MD, MS

novel treatment options based on current clinical and scientific evidence, with a particular focus on challenging pediatric and AYA brain tumor diagnoses .

Beyond clinical education, the tumor board aims to improve clinical and translational collaborative dialogue in the global pediatric neuro-oncology community and provide insights and opportunities to facilitate basic, translational, and clinical research . It is hoped that such collaborative efforts will fast-track tangible advances in medical management of pediatric brain tumor patients across the world including low and middle income and under-resourced countries .

Leadership and reach The SNO Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board, is led by SNO Board member and Pediatric Track co-lead, Annie Huang, MD, PhD (SickKids Hospital, Toronto, Canada), with junior tumor board co-chairs, Craig Erker, MD, MS, (Dalhousie and IWK Health Center, Nova Scotia, Canada) and Holly Lindsay, MD, MS (Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center) and administered by SNO's support team, Chas Haynes, JD, Executive Director; Shelley Pressley, MBA, CMP, Director of Administration; and MeLesa Ritterhouse, RN, CME and Academy Manager .

To date, the SNO Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board Series has reached over 2,000 neuro-oncology professionals from 41 countries . The success of this unique global collaborative tumor board launched by SNO, has been due to the quality of the cases presented and the deep expertise of the multi-disciplinary expert panelists from around the world who are invited to present and share their patient cases and expertise . The proceedings of the Tumor Board are specifically designed to deliver dialogue that will enable participants at all levels of training and pediatric neurooncology practice experience from small and large institutions worldwide, to gain an understanding of current cutting-edge biological and clinical knowledge that can help guide their day-to-day management of difficult cases .

Virtual Participation The typical audience for the SNO Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board Series includes clinical trainees, allied health professionals, patients and family members, and pediatric subspecialties in oncology, neuro-oncology, neurology, radiology, radiation oncology, pathology, and surgery . Registration is complimentary and limited to the first 1,000 participants . Real-life pediatric molecular tumor board cases that have been presented to date include the following:

n A six-month-old infant with a suprasellar embryonal tumor: diagnostics, management, and challenges n NTRK mutant gliomas: diagnosis and management n Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR): evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of this biologically and clinically heterogeneous pediatric CNS tumor n Posterior fossa ependymoma: current upfront and relapse management strategies in the molecular era .

All pediatric molecular tumor board cases are recorded, so if you miss one, you will be able to view it on-demand on the Neuro-Oncology Academy website at www .neuro-onc .academy .org and select the category Pediatric Neuro-Onc .

Invitation to Submit a Case The Pediatric Special Interest Track selects cases on rare and high-risk tumors to be presented on the tumor board and invites expert panelists to discuss the best treatment plans for the patients .

Selected cases must have relevance to a wide array of practitioners, including a minimum of three of the following: neuro-oncologists (pediatric/adult), neuropathologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, radiation oncologists, and trainees . Each selected case should highlight key challenges in either tumor diagnosis or treatment or both . Newly diagnosed and relapsed cases are welcome for submission . Each selected case should highlight opportunities for further research in either basic, translational, or clinical areas .

All members caring for the patient presented at the Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board from the local site (primary patient care team) are specifically invited to the

webinar and encouraged to participate . Invitations for viewing the tumor board will be disseminated through SNO, and participation is encouraged . n

Neuro-oncology professionals interested in submitting a challenging case to be considered for a future broadcast of the Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board, should complete the online form which can be found at https://neuro-onc-academy.org/ content/pedstumorboard. For more information about the Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board, please email pedstumorboard@ soc-neuro-onc.org.

SNO and participants of the Pediatric Molecular Tumor Board accept no responsibility for the harms or benefits of patient disease-related outcomes of the presented subjects . The primary doctor remains responsible for all patient-related care and outcomes .

Please join us in 2022!

Raise awareness of the challenges of brain tumours - plan an event for International Brain Tumour Awareness Week 2022 (29th October to 5th November)