Additive Effects of Cu-ATSM and Radiation on Survival of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Cells.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) are highly aggressive and treatment-resistant childhood primary brainstem tumors with a median survival of less than one year after diagnosis. The prevailing standard of care for DIPG, radiation therapy, does not prevent fatal disease progression, with most patients succumbing to this disease 3-8 months after completion of radiation therapy. This underscores the urgent need for novel combined-modality approaches for enhancing therapy responses.