Chair: Lissa Baird, MD
Co-Chair: Anthony Wang, MD

The Executive Committee of the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery met in Oklahoma City, Okla., on November 29, 2023. An update on tumor-related concerns was provided by Anthony Wang.

• NCCN medulloblastoma guidelines in 2023 and revised pediatric glioma management guidelines are upcoming in 2024. Gerald Grant, Renee Reynolds and Anthony Wang represented neurosurgery in the development of these guidelines.
• The NCI Cancer Moonshot Research Initiative announced its first Cancer Moonshot Scholars Program, targeting R01 support of early-stage investigators, as well as investigators from diverse backgrounds. The second group of Pediatric Immunotherapy Network grants were awarded in 2023. This collaborative network awarded 7 U01, 2 U54 and 1 UM1 grants under this initiative. Its goal is identifying and advancing preclinical immunotherapy research for children and adolescents with CNS cancer.
• Two specifically pediatric CNS tumor consortia are currently running clinical trials in the United States (PNOC and Connect), as well as two broader pediatric oncology consortia (COG and SIOPE). Each has opened new pediatric neuro-oncology trials in the past year.
• Pediatric and AYA cancers, as well as brain tumors, continue to receive priority status in research funding from the DOD CDMRP, and this is expected to continue when the next funding priority determination is released.

The field of pediatric neuro-oncology continues to expand at a rapid pace even relative to neuro-oncology in general, and pediatric neurosurgeons with interest and expertise in clinical trials, translational development, pharmaceutical discovery and data science surrounding CNS tumors are needed to help drive the clinical aspects of the field forward. We continue to advocate for separate pediatric/adolescent/young adult tumor consideration in resource allocation and prioritization, due to the relative rarity of these conditions, but the potentially greater impact of these initiatives.