Pediatric Brain Tumors: Role of Imaging

Pediatric brain tumors are genetically and biologically different compared to adult tumors and require dedicated specialists for diagnosis, treatment, and management, including but not limited to pediatric oncology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, and pathology. Recent advancements in molecular testing and characterization have resulted in a rapid expansion in tumor subtypes across high- and low-grade entities, now defined by their genetic and epigenetic signatures rather than histology alone. It becomes imperative for radiologists to not just keep up to date with the developments in pathology and genetics, but also to focus on deep phenotyping the images to develop reliable imaging biomarkers to predict tumor biology as well as confidently gauge response assessment in treated cases.