The Fourth International Conference on Gliomatosis Cerebri (GC) was held at the Weil Cornell Medicine, New York, USA from September 14-15, 2023, after a four year gap due to COVID. The Chair of the conference was Dr. Jeff Greenfield of Weil Cornell Medicine, and the co-chairs were Dr. Andres Morales of Saint Juan de Deu Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Prof Chris Jones of ICR, London, U.K; and Dr. Mariella Filbin of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA. The conference was attended by over fifty researchers, clinicians and doctors from many of the leading institutions in USA and Europe. This conference was a big step forward as all the discussions were focussed on GC and a lot of new ideas and insights were shared. Significant among them was the discussion on EGFR alterations in diffuse midline glioma, which was one of the areas focused on by the Foundation sponsored PhD student Shauna Crampsie. Also important was the discussion on Addressing the WHO De- classification of GC, with a view to bringing back the focus on GC. The SIOPE study on GC in Children; Precision Medicine; MRI and Ultrasound usage; Immunotherapy using Cart -T were some of the other key discussions.
The family foundations held a separate session where the different foundations presented the various initiatives that they were undertaking. The global walk held every year by the Foundation was very much appreciated and many foundations felt that they could use the format to raise awareness in their countries. It was agreed that there is a need to widen the awareness of GC by reaching out to MDs and researchers by attending professional conferences where possible. It was also felt that the next conference should have participants from Asia who are dealing with GC. The conference was sponsored by the Rudy A Menon Foundation and some of the other family foundations. Everyone agreed that these conferences have paved the path to finding a cure for GC one day. The next conference in 2025 will be held in London, UK.
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