Genetic markers in adult high-grade gliomas

Abstract

Diffuse gliomas are the most common primary central nervous system malignancy in adults and most are high grade. Although current morphologic classification by the World Health Organization provides considerable information, significant variability continues to exist in each diagnostic category. Recent molecular advances define distinct molecular signatures and elucidate gliomagenesis pathways, leading to alternative methods for subclassification beyond morphology alone. In addition, each newly described molecular aberration represents a potential new biomarker with variable diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive value for further guiding patient management. In this review, we summarize the most commonly used genetic biomarkers in the workup of adult high-grade gliomas.