1. DMG/DIPG (Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant) carries a universally fatal prognosis.
2. There is no known cause of DMG/DIPG. There is no scientific evidence that DMG/DIPG is caused by environmental factors or that it is hereditary.
3. DMG/DIPG is primarily a pediatric disease. (However, a very small portion of DIPGs occur in people over the age of 17.) Adult brain tumors have different mutations and mechanisms.
4. There are over 50 types of brain tumors. They vary in mutation, aggressiveness and therefore survival rate. Some brain tumors respond to various forms of current treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Some, like DMG/DIPG, do not.
5. While many childhood cancer types have seen an increase in 5 year survival rates in the past several decades (The overall childhood cancer 5 year survival rate is 85%), DMG/DIPG has seen virtually no progress in 5 year survival rates, despite the work of dedicated neuro-oncologists and researchers. Less than 1% of children with DIPG survive 5 years. Most die within 2 years. (Note on other childhood cancers: some of those advances have come with unfortunate long term side effects for survivors, and improved survivorship is an important goal.)
Sources: The 2021 WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary; Current knowledge on the immune microenvironment and emerging immunotherapies in diffuse midline glioma; November 2020 SEER Data on 5 year survival rates shown in chart on Cure Search For Children's Cancer website; Diffuse high-grade gliomas with H3 K27M mutations carry a dismal prognosis independent of tumor location
