Dr. Steve Braunstein Guide to Glioma Care

A brain tumor diagnosis—whether slow-growing or aggressive—can feel certainly overwhelming. Treatments are complex, decisions are deeply personal, and the brain’s unique sensitivity often limits what doctors can safely do. But today, new advances in precision medicine and targeted therapies are beginning to change what’s possible for patients.

For decades, patients with low-grade gliomas—especially those with IDH-mutant tumors—had extremely limited treatment options. Most care plans depended on surgery, followed by careful monitoring and, when necessary, radiation or chemotherapy.

The introduction of vorasidenib, an oral targeted therapy for IDH-mutant gliomas, has reshaped how clinicians think about treating low-grade and select recurrent brain tumors. While its initial approval came from the INDIGO trial, real-world use of this drug is rapidly expanding.

The approval of vorasidenib, the first targeted oral therapy designed specifically for IDH-mutant low-grade gliomas, marked a major milestone in brain tumor treatment.