Description
Diffuse infiltrating gliomas are the most common primary brain malignancy found in adults, and Glioblastoma multiforme, the highest grade glioma, is associated with a median survival of 7 months. Transcriptional profiling has been applied to 85 gliomas from 74 patients to elucidate glioma biology, prognosticate survival, and define tumor sub-classes. These studies reveal that transcriptional profiling of gliomas is more accurate at predicting survival than traditional pathologic grading, and that gliomas characteristically express coordinately regulated genes of one of four molecular signatures: neurogenesis, synaptic transmission, mitotic, or extra-cellular matrix. Elucidation of these survival associated molecular signatures will aid in tumor prognostication and define targets for future directed therapy.