The progress in molecular biomarkers of gliomas

Malignant glioma, a common form of central nervous system tumor, has a poor prognosis. The overall survival of these patients is as low as 12–14 months only. In general, the progress in personal precision medication has been gradually directed toward the molecular profiling of the tumors. Malignant glioma is one such tumor in which treatment response relies largely on its molecular characteristics, thus making the understanding of these markers essential to deliver the best treatment possible. Representative molecular markers (isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation, 1p19q codeletion, epidermal growth factor receptor variant III amplification, human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations, alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked mutation, and O[6]-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation) are described/discussed in this article. Furthermore, the research prospects of cell-free DNA, regarded as a new developing trend of molecular markers, are discussed. There is an immense hope in these promising molecular markers which are expected to improve the overall survival and quality of life of malignant glioma patients.