Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is an aggressive form of brain cancer with less than a 3% survival rate. DIPG is inoperable. The tumor grows in the brain stem, which controls some of the body’s most vital functions. It affects the pons portions of the brain stem rendering normal nervous system function impossible. Symptoms are usually present for six months or fewer at the time of diagnosis. Like most childhood brain tumors, the cause of DIPG is unknown. Approximately 300 children, typically between the ages of five and nine, are diagnosed annually with the disease.

The name Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma describes how the tumor grows, where it is found, and what kinds of cells give rise to the tumor.

• Diffuse means that the tumor is not well-contained: it grows out into other tissue so that cancer cells mix with healthy cells. For this reason, it is impossible to surgically remove DIPG tumors without damaging healthy tissue. This makes DIPG very hard to treat.
• Pontine describes where the tumor is located. It is found in a part of the brain called the pons, near where the spinal cord meets the brain.  The pons is responsible for a number of important bodily functions, like breathing, sleeping, bladder control, and balance. Because these functions are vital to survival, the pressure from the growing tumor is very dangerous.
• Glioma is a general term for tumors originating in glial cells. Glial cells are found throughout the brain. They make up the white matter of the brain that surrounds and supports the neurons (cells that carry messages in the brain). Gliomas can form in different areas of the brain. DIPG occurs in glial cells in the pons.