Management of Optic Pathway Gliomas

The management of optic pathway gliomas is as controversial as anything else in medicine. This is largely because the natural history is unknown. The incidences of vision loss, hydrocephalus, diencephalic syndrome, and even death vary widely from study to study. This variability is due to differences in types of accrual centers, percentages of patients with NF1, extent and location of the tumors, outcome measures, types and frequency of radiographic studies, and biases toward treatment. These differences make it extremely difficult to directly compare published reports on outcomes for optic pathway gliomas.