Optic gliomas

Abstract

The term "optic glioma" encompasses a diverse group of tumors that can arise anywhere along the visual pathway from the globe to the optic radiations. A particularly challenging subgroup of these tumors involves the hypothalamus in conjunction with the optic chiasm. Because complete resection of such lesions is not feasible without excessive morbidity, a variety of adjuvant management options have been explored. The success of low-intensity chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of chiasmatic-hypothalamic gliomas has led to dramatic changes in management algorithms for these tumors during the last decade. A second factor that has come to influence management in recent years is the recognition that optic pathway tumors in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) often have a substantially more indolent course than in those without this disorder, necessitating a correspondingly more conservative approach to intervention. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.