Wat er speelt bij het diffuse glioom

Conflict of interest: M.J. van den Bent has received remuneration from Roche and MSD for advice and lectures, and his institution has received money from Roche for research. Financial support: none declared.

• Progress in treating diffuse gliomas remains limited and is principally concerned with the confirmation that cystostatics as nitrosureum derivatives and temozolomide play a role in the treatment of these tumours.

• At molecular level, diffuse gliomas are a heterogeneous group of tumours.

• This seems to be an important explanation of why so far no important breakthrough in the treatment of these tumours has been achieved.

• It is thought that abnormal activation of various molecular signal systems working in parallel in the tumour cell are an important cause of the absence of efficacy of the targeted agents; the inhibition of only one target appears inadequate.