“SIOP Ependymoma II” clinical trial for improved treatment of brain tumours  

Ependymomas are tumours of the central nervous system and are one of the most common types of malignant brain tumours in children and adolescents. The prognosis, especially in young children, is still not good. The effective treatment of these patients is still one of the major challenges in paediatric oncology, especially as about half of all cases are diagnosed in children under the age of five. The prospects of cure for a patient with an ependymoma depend in particular on the location of the tumour and the possibilities of complete tumour removal by surgery.

Aim of the trial

 The clinical trial aims to increase the diagnostic accuracy in the case of ependymomas, improve their treatment and standardise that treatment at a European level. An important part of this is the assessment of the trial results by national and international expert groups. By using modern laboratory methods, tissue characteristics of the tumour are also determined to make the diagnosis even more certain and to obtain further information about the expected course of the disease. The data generated in the trial will help to better understand the biology of ependymomas and improve the quality of life and survival prognosis of affected patients

Implementing organisation

Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group (SPOG)