What is a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma?

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)

As some find this blog, one may wonder... What is a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and why is this guy so adamant about it?
Well, a DIPG is a brain tumor. It is deadly and there is no known cause or cure. Said that yesterday, didn't I? Don't be surprised if you hear again.

In a medical posting from ~ http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~.mRcz8tSL28gkJ

~ Gliomas arising in the brainstem (midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata) account for 10 to 20 percent of all central nervous system (CNS) tumors in children. They are more common in children than adults. In the United States, for example, there are approximately 300 pediatric cases and 100 adult cases reported each year. In children, the median age at diagnosis is five to nine years of age, and the incidence is approximately equal between males and females.
Although previously thought to represent a single entity, brainstem gliomas are characterized by heterogeneous biologic behavior, ranging from low-grade tumors needing little treatment to those that are universally fatal despite aggressive therapy. Prognosis and treatment depend not only on histologic features but also on tumor location within the brainstem.

Approximately 80 percent of pediatric brainstem gliomas arise within the pons, while the remaining 20 percent of lesions occur within the medulla, midbrain, and cervicomedullary junction. The majority of pontine tumors are diffuse intrinsic brainstem gliomas, which are most often high-grade, locally infiltrative, and have a uniformly poor prognosis. Histologically, these tumors are either anaplastic astrocytomas (World Health Organization [WHO] grade III) or glioblastoma multiforme (WHO grade IV).

Alrighty, that's a medical definition.

Coming from a parent of a child that passed from a DIPG...

It is the ugliest thing one can imagine. This tumor does not care what sex the child is, what ethnic background the child comes from nor is it kind. Approx 85% of children will pass within 12-18 months of diagnosis of a DIPG and 98% within two years of diagnosis. I have not heard of a child living more than five years. It is a killer of innocent children and it needs to be stopped. More information can be found and researched to the right of this article with the foundations listed. I also ask that you take the time to check out the "other kids" and "lifted up". There you will find many, many, many children's stories.