Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

DIPG Explainer

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare and aggressive paediatric brain tumour that develops in the brainstem.

Despite decades of research, it remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with very limited therapeutic options and a persistently poor prognosis.

D - Diffuse I - Intrinsic P - Pontine G - Glioma

The four terms behind DIPG

These four terms describe how the tumour grows, where it develops and how it is described.

Diffuse

Diffuse growth means tumour cells spread into surrounding brain tissue, making surgical removal impossible.

Intrinsic

Intrinsic to the brainstem, the tumour develops in a critical region controlling essential functions such as breathing and movement.

Pontine

Pontine refers to the pons, where DIPG occurs, a location that limits both treatment options and biological access.

Glioma

Glioma indicates an agressive brain tumour with a median survival of around 9–12 months and no curative treatment to date.

Diagnose

between 5 and 10 years old
300 new cases per year in Europe

Survival

Average survival: ~9–12 months
<10% survive beyond 2 years
<1% survive 5 years

TREATMENT OPTIONS

No cure
Radiotherapy is the standard of care and provides temporary symptom relief

The unmet need

The unmet need in DIPG is not only about identifying new treatments, but also about creating the conditions to evaluate them properly. These include:

Developing approaches that can be tested safely in children
Improving how disease evolution and response are monitored
Understanding how complex therapies can be delivered across centres
Generating robust evidence that can guide future studies

Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts that go beyond testing a single intervention.

DIPG Explainer