Optic Pathway Glioma Treatment: A Mini-review of the Current Literature

Abstract

Background and Aim: Optic pathway glioma (OPG) is a chronic condition that needs a multidisciplinary management strategy. Most of these tumors are observed in the pediatric population and the tumor tends to stabilize after the child’s growth. This benign course can be observed mostly in neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) patients, which are about half of the pediatric patients. Methods and Materials/Patients: The current literature in PubMed and Scopus databases was searched. The recent data regarding OPG and treatment options were reviewed to design this narrative mini-review. Results: The brief data extracted from 17 articles, cited in the reference list, were included in the study. Conclusion: Chemotherapy is the first and best treatment modality for patients with OPG. It is more useful at younger ages because it has lower rates of complications and cancer in the future compared with radiotherapy, the treatment of choice in previous decades for these patients. However, in recent practice, it has been substituted by chemotherapy because of its serious adverse effects on the pediatric population. Neurosurgical treatments for OPG are used for three main purposes, third ventricle obstruction-related hydrocephalus, biopsy, and tissue diagnosis for cases with an uncertain diagnosis, and tumor decompression due to mass effect on vital structures. Surgical decompression is not considered the first-line treatment in OPG. It can be used for patients with progressive exophthalmos with ipsilateral blindness or patients with refractory pain after adjuvant treatment. This short review discusses the main aspects of OPG treatment modalities.