Symptoms & Diagnosis
Symptoms The most common symptoms found in patients diagnosed with DIPG or DMG include the following: Facial weakness or drooping Trouble with walking and/or coordination Slurring of speech Trouble chewing…
Initial Questions
Medical Team Does your medical team have extensive experience with DIPG and DMG? If so, how many DIPG patients do they see every year? Does the medical institution have at…
Second Opinion
DIPG and DMG tumors tend to advance quickly, so medical teams typically want to start treatment as quickly as possible. Doctors who specialize in DIPG and DMG understand this need…
Biopsy Considerations
Medical professionals who specialize in DIPG and DMG now agree that biopsies are crucial in understanding a tumor’s biological makeup and the key gene mutations that control the tumor cells’…
Steroids
Steroids may or may not be prescribed for DIPG and DMG patients after first being diagnosed. If steroids are prescribed, the goal would be to decrease edema (swelling) around the…
Parent to Parent Advice
Some of these suggestions may resonate with you; others may not. The important message that families would want to convey is that as you identify your family’s unique priorities and…
Treatment
It is very important to understand and believe that whatever choice the family feels is best for them IS the right choice for that family. No two families experience DIPG…
Radiation
Radiation Therapy (RT) Standard of care is a medical treatment guideline. It specifies appropriate treatment based on scientific evidence for any given condition. The only approved standard of care for…
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are the primary way researchers determine if a new treatment is safe and effective in people. Additionally, they determine whether the treatment is more effective and/or has less…
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy has difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a group of tightly woven blood vessels surrounding the brain. This barrier acts as a defense mechanism by not…