Study of Aminolevulinic Acid to Enhance Visualization and Resection of Malignant Glial Tumors of the Brain
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Tumors of the central nervous system are potentially curable. For tumors of comparable
histology and grade, resectability is the most important prognostic factor affecting survival
particularly in children. However, the infiltrative nature of the malignant cells produces
indistinct borders between normal and malignant tissues, and the lack of easily identifiable
tumor margins confounds attempts toward total resection. The investigators propose to
identify the borders of tumors intraoperatively using protoporphyrin fluorescence of the
malignant cells and thereby provide more complete tumor resection.