Enhancement of radiation effects by combined treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and differentiation-inducing or epigenetic drugs in human MB cells

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common pediatric brain tumor. MB therapy includes surgery followed by irradiation and/or chemotherapy. However, survival rates remain poor with a 5-year survival of approximately 60%. Especially for patients with moderate or poor prognosis (about 90% of all MB patients), an improved therapy is urgently needed. In case of low-risk patients (5-year survival up to 95%), the current therapy has to be further developed to reduce adverse effects, like neurocognitive and endocrine disorders. In this study, we tested the combination of epigenetic mediators (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, valpro…