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Chemotherapy
Source: Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: January 9, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
Context: Types of treatment for DIPG
Chemotherapy (also called chemo) uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy either kills the cancer cells or stops them from dividing.
To treat a DIPG in infants, chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein. When given this way, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier and reach tumor cells in the brain are used.
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Because radiation therapy to the brain can affect growth and brain development in young children, chemotherapy may be given to delay or reduce the need for radiation therapy.
To learn more, see Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice