Choroid plexus tumors

Choroid Plexus Tumors (CPT) are rare (2-4% of all pediatric CNS tumors), predominantly early childhood brain neoplasms. Due to their rarity and the lack of prospective clinical trials, evidence-based treatment guidelines remain limited. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current knowledge.\n\nCPTs span a spectrum from mature Choroid Plexus Papillomas (CPP) to malignant Choroid Plexus Carcinomas (CPC), with Atypical Choroid Plexus Papillomas (aCPP) in between. A significant proportion of CPCs are driven by either somatic or germline TP53 mutations (Li-Fraumeni syndrome); however, other molecular drivers of CPT tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. CPTs exhibit distinct DNA methylation profiles, allowing for classification into clinically relevant subgroups. These tumors also display a chromosomal instability phenotype, characterized by multiple copy number alterations. \n\nAdvances in molecular profiling have revealed that TP53-mutated CPCs have significantly worse outcomes. Both retrospective and limited prospective data have shown 5-year event-free survival rates of 0–25% for TP53-mutant CPCs versus 70–80% for TP53-wild-type cases. The extent of surgical resection remains another established prognostic factor, while data on the roles of radiation therapy (RT) and myeloablative chemotherapy with stem cell rescue are still evolving. Preliminary evidence suggests that TP53-mutant patients may be getting less benefit from RT, but greater benefit from myeloablative chemotherapy approach with avoidance of RT.\n\n The emerging insights into CPC biology and long-term outcomes can direct the design of future clinical trials. A new international prospective study led by the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium is in development, with the goal to stratify patients by molecular subtype to receive different therapy based on individual molecular profiles and patient age.