Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41429568›Full record

ArticleNeuro-oncology2026

Molecular and clinical stratification of astroblastomas: Three distinct fusion-defined groups informing risk-adapted treatment strategies.

Aniello Federico, Felix Schmitt-Hoffner, Adriana Fonseca, Neal Geisemeyer, Katharina Bruckner, Monika Mauermann, Martin Sill, Damian Stichel, Dominik Sturm, Ulrich Schüller and 41 more

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Article in Neuro-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

51 authors.

Aniello FedericoHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Felix Schmitt-HoffnerHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Adriana FonsecaBrain Tumor Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA (Ad.F., Lan.W., R.J.P.).ORCID 0000-0002-6382-6833
Neal GeisemeyerHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Katharina BrucknerDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center and Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Monika MauermannHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Martin SillHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7616-7665
Damian StichelDivision of Pediatric Glioma Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, -Germany.
Dominik SturmHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0250-1696
Ulrich SchüllerDepartment of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8731-1121
Arnault Tauziede-EspariatDepartment of Neuropathology, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Sainte-Anne Hospital, Paris, France.
Pascale VarletDepartment of Neuropathology, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Sainte-Anne Hospital, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0002-8164-1517
David CapperDepartment of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1945-497X
Zied AbdullaevLaboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Daniel SchrimpfDivision of Pediatric Glioma Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, -Germany.
Florian SeltHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9717-6712
Lane WilliamsonBrain Tumor Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA (Ad.F., Lan.W., R.J.P.).
Andrew M DonsonMorgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Manila AntonelliDepartment of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomic Pathology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9535-931X
Evelina MieleOnco-Hematology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies, and Haemopoietic Transplant, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Matija SnuderlDepartment of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Sebastian BrandnerDepartment of Neurodegeneration, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8635-7195
Maria ŁastowskaDepartment of Pathomorphology, Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Jasper van der LugtPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jens BuntPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0397-2019
Christof KrammDivision of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
Alexandra KolenovaDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia (A.K.).
Aditya RaghunathanDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6198-7441
Yelena WilsonDepartment of Pathology, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, Ohio, USA.
Lauren WeintraubPediatric Hematology/Oncology, Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York, USA.
Jordan R HansfordChildren's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital; Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Sabine Spiegl-KreineckerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria (S.S.-K.).
Barbara AistleitnerDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria (B.A.).
Lorena BaroniDepartment of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital JP Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Michal ZapotockyPrague Brain Tumor Research Group, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
Vijay RamaswamyDivision of Haematology/Oncology, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6557-895X
Andrey KorshunovHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Barbara JonesHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Mimi KjaersgaardDepartment of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Children and Adolescents with Cancer and Hematological Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mariëtte E KranendonkPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Christine HaberlerDivision of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-1016-0545
Roger J PackerBrain Tumor Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA (Ad.F., Lan.W., R.J.P.).
Natalie JägerHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Andreas von DeimlingHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5863-540X
Felix SahmHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5441-1962
Jan KosterCenter for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Kenneth AldapeLaboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5119-7550
Stefan M PfisterHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Katja von HoffCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, Berlin.
Johannes GojoDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center and Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-8113-3416
Marcel KoolHopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6557-5468

Funding

Brain Tumour CharityChildren's National Hospital, Brain Tumor InstituteCity of Vienna Fund for Innovative Interdisciplinary Cancer ResearchDKFZForschungsgesellschaft für Cerebrale Tumore
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAstroblastomas are rare brain tumors predominantly affecting children and young adults, for which molecular subtypes and clinical management remain undefined.

methodsWe analyzed tumor samples, molecular profiles, and clinical data from 200 patients, classified as "Astroblastoma, MN1-altered" under WHO criteria, using DNA methylation profiling, DNA/RNA profiling/sequencing, and survival analyses.

resultsDNA methylation analyses identified 3 groups: Group A (n = 143, characterized by MN1::BEND2 fusions, predominantly supratentorial location, with striking female predominance and favorable survival); Group B (n = 37, epigenetically and transcriptionally closely related to Group A, but characterized by EWSR1::BEND2 fusions, with spinal and infratentorial locations and poor prognosis); and Group C (n = 20, epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct, characterized by MN1::CXXC5 fusions, exclusively supratentorially located, with favorable survival). Progression-free and overall survival were significantly shorter in Group B (5-year PFS 14%; 10-year OS 54%) compared to A (5-year PFS 47%; 10-year OS 89%) and C (5-year PFS 75%; 10-year OS 89%). Radiotherapy improved PFS in Group B (hazard ratio 0.25), while no clear benefit was identified for Groups A and C.

conclusionsAstroblastoma, MN1-altered, comprises 3 molecularly and clinically distinct groups, characterized by different fusion genes, including those without MN1. These new insights, including the identification of potential predictive biomarkers like 14q/16q loss, provide a framework for the development of risk-stratified therapeutic approaches. Importantly, we identified a molecularly defined high-risk group that benefits from radiation therapy. Our findings redefine Astroblastoma as a molecularly diverse tumor type, propose a refined classification, support the development of risk-adapted therapeutic strategies and provide a rational standard of care.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorBrain NeoplasmsNeoplasms, NeuroepithelialOncogene Proteins, FusionTumor Suppressor ProteinsAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolDNA MethylationFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkers, TumorMN1 protein, humanOncogene Proteins, FusionTrans-ActivatorsTumor Suppressor ProteinsastroblastomaEWSR1::BEND2gene fusionMN1-alteredMN1::BEND2MN1::CXXC5

Identifiers

PMID41429568
PMCPMC13188975

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