Reply to ‘Assembling the brain trust: the multidisciplinary imperative in neuro-oncology’

Abstract

et al. Assembling the brain trust: the multi\xad disciplinary imperative in neuro\xad oncology. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. https://doi.org/10.1038/ s41571\xad019\xad0235\xadz (2019))1 for their positive comments on our Position Paper (Aldape, K. et al. Challenges to curing primary brain tumours. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. https://doi. org/10.1038/s41571\xad019\xad0177\xad5 (2019))2, and we agree entirely that radiation oncol\xad ogy has, and will likely continue to have for many years, a critical role in the treatment of patients with primary brain tumours. In particular, we note the helpful references to newer radiotherapy approaches, such as stereotactic radiosurgery and proton beam therapy, that are advancing the treatment of brain tumours. As noted by Ludmir and colleagues1, a substantial portion of our Position Paper2 is given over to the discussion of radiation oncology. As stated in our manuscript2, this narra\xad tive was composed following a series of inter\xad national, multidisciplinary meetings, hosted by Cancer Research UK, which engaged many individuals involved in brain tumour research and treatment. It is important to note that our manuscript is a Position Paper and not a Meeting Report. Thus, rather than synthesising the entirety of the discussions that took place during these meetings, it reports the opinions of those authors listed on the paper. The discussions held by the committee did indeed engage radiation oncologists as well as individuals in other 8Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Great Ormond Street, London, UK. 9Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA. 10Pediatric Glioma Research Group, Hopp Children’s Cancer Center at the NCT Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 11Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. 12Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK. 13DanaFarber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorder’s Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 14Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA. 15Oncology, AstraZeneca IMED Biotech Unit, Boston, MA, USA. 16Division of Pediatric Oncology, Hopp Children’s Cancer Center at the NCT Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 17Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre and Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. 18Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 19Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA. 20Department of Pediatrics, University of Cambridge and Wellcome TrustMRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK. 21The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumour Center, Duke Cancer Center, Durham, NC, USA. 22The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, and Division of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 23CRUK Cambridge Institute and Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK. *email: [email protected]