Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for the Treatment of Pediatric Central Nervous System Tumors

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age between 1 and 22 years.
2. Karnofsky Performance Scale (for patients \> 12 y/o) or Lansky Performance Score (for patients \< 12y/o) must be \> 50 assessed within two-weeks prior to enrollment.
3. Tumor volume less than 10 cm3 is mandatory for high grade tumors.
4. Tumor volume greater than 10 cm3 is acceptable in low grade tumors if the entire tumor can be ablated in more than one staged procedure.
5. Histology must be available, obtained either at a prior surgery or at the time of LITT by stereotactic biopsy (except in germ cell tumors where elevation of tumor markers is diagnostic).
6. Patients must meet the following histological and disease states:

A) Newly diagnosed low-grade CNS tumor located in a site that is difficult to access surgically or recurrent/persistent low-grade CNS tumor (any site) despite treatment with conventional therapy. Tumor types include:

1. Grade I or II glioma,
2. Desmoplastic neuroectodermal tumor (DNET),
3. Ganglioglioma,
4. Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma/astrocytoma,
5. Choroid plexus papilloma (CPP),
6. Meningioma,
7. Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA),
8. Craniopharyngioma
9. Teratoma, or
10. Other "low-grade CNS tumors"

B) Newly diagnosed high-grade CNS tumor located in a site that is difficult to access surgically or recurrent/persistent high-grade CNS tumors (any site) despite treatment with conventional therapy. Tumor types include:

1. Grade III or IV glioma,
2. Ependymoma,
3. Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT),
4. Choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC),
5. Germ cell tumor (GCT),
6. Medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET),
7. Other "high grade CNS tumors".