Childhood pilocytic astrocytomas (PA) are low grade tumours with an excellent prognosis. However, a minority, particularly those in surgically inaccessible locations, have poorer long term outcome. In 2017 Apr 7, Alexandra Sexton-Oates and others publish an article in << Molecular Oncology >> which title is “Methylation profiling of paediatric pilocytic astrocytoma reveals variants specifically associated with tumour location and predictive of recurrence”， tested the utility of DNA methylation profiling to inform tumour biology and to predict behaviour in paediatric PA. Using a combination of analyses they identified DNA methylation variants specific to tumour location and predictive of behaviour. Their findings show location-specific epigenetic profiles for PAs, potentially reflecting their cell type of origin. They also defined an accurate method to predict tumour behaviour at diagnosis.
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