Pediatric Ependymoma: Molecular Characteristics and Useful Prognostic Markers

Ependymoma is a type of brain tumor that originates from ependymal cells in the ventricular system of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. Ependymoma tumors remain a public health concern. Over the last several decades, ependymoma tumors have been studied at the molecular level. In pediatric ependymomas, deletions of chromosomes 6q and 22q as well as the amplification of chromosome 1q have been observed. The MMP2, MMP14, PI3K, and MGMT genes have been proposed to be prognostic markers of ependymoma. At the epigenetic level, medullary ependymoma has a different methylation pattern from intracranial EP. The EZH2 and MGMT genes play an important role in cell cycle-related gene expression.