Investigating therapies in ependymoma

Introduction: Ependymomas are a heterogeneous group of primary central nervous system neoplasms with varied clinical characteristics, pathologic appearances, survival outcomes, cytogenetic, gene expression, and epigenetic profiles. The variable outcomes with adjuvant radiotherapy and the meager success of cytotoxic chemotherapies point to a need to develop personalized, targeted therapies. Areas covered: This review provides an overview of clinical, pathologic, radiographic, prognostic, and treatment characteristics of ependymomas, summarizes recent discoveries in gene expression profiling, and future directions for the development of targeted and immunologic therapeutic strategies. Expert opinion: Translating the quickly accumulating molecular data into an improved system of grading, classification, prognostication, and therapeutic development will be necessary to improve patient outcomes.