A Pilot Study Evaluating the Toxicity and Clinical Benefit of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Pathway Inhibition Combined With Programmed Cell Death-1 Checkpoint Blockade (Anti-PD1) for the Treatment of BRAF-altered Pediatric Gliomas

This study is testing if combining two types of cancer treatments can better stop the growth of certain brain tumors in children. By using drugs that block specific tumor growth signals together with immunotherapy, researchers hope to help the immune system fight the cancer more effectively.

This trial is for patients aged 1 to 26 who have specific types of brain tumors, including low-grade or high-grade gliomas, that have a particular genetic change like the BRAF mutation. Participants may be newly diagnosed with high-grade tumors or have tumors that have returned or continued to grow after previous treatments.

Participants will receive a combination of targeted therapy drugs—which block signals that help cancer cells grow—and an immunotherapy drug that helps the immune system recognize and attack the tumor. Throughout the study, doctors will closely monitor the patient to see how the tumor responds and watch for any side effects.

The study is currently recruiting patients and is taking place at medical centers in Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York. You can talk to your doctor to see if one of these locations is an option for your family.