The impact of molecularly matched treatment and tumor mutational burden
on pediatric brain tumor patient outcomes
Abstract
Background: The role of tumor genomics in influencing treatment outcomes
remains a critical area of investigation in personalized medicine. This
study is the first to evaluate the relationship between tumor mutational
burden (TMB) and driver mutations (DM) in pediatric brain tumors,
examining their association with treatment modalities and patient
outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 160 pediatric
patients (78 males, 82 females) with a median age of 9 years (range: 2
months to 26 years) who were diagnosed with primary CNS tumors across
four academic institutions between 2008 and 2023. The analysis included
TMB (high TMB ≥3 mutations/megabase, low TMB <3), DM, treatment
modality, clinical outcomes, and matching status, defined as the
alignment of tumor genomic markers with corresponding pharmacologic
targets. Results: Low-grade glioma (42.5%) and high-grade glioma
(22.5%) were the most common tumors, followed by medulloblastoma
(10.6%), ependymoma (5%), ganglioglioma (4.4%), atypical teratoid
rhabdoid tumor (2.5%), and other rare tumor types. Among patients
receiving targeted or immunotherapy (N=30), most had matched therapy
(N=19) and were found to have no significant survival advantage. High
TMB tumors had better survival with standard therapy (p=0.026). Targeted
and immunotherapy were used as second or later lines of treatment, with
a non-significant trend suggesting better survival in recurrent or
progressive disease. Conclusions: This study found no statistical
significance linking matched therapy with molecular markers to improved
overall survival. Most patients received targeted or immunotherapy as
second-line or later treatment. High TMB tumors had better outcomes with
standard therapy. The increased resistance and aggressiveness of
recurrent tumors complicate the ability to evaluate targeted therapies
as initial treatment options.