New proton therapy aims to shield memory in kids with brain cancer

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have a diagnosis of pilocytic astrocytoma, pilomyxoid astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, ganglioglioma, optic pathway glioma, diffuse astrocytoma, low-grade neuroepithelial tumor, low-grade glioneuronal tumor or LGG, or not otherwise specified (NOS). * Patient with eligible diagnosis other than optic pathway glioma or tumors of the brainstem/midbrain/tectum has histologic verification of disease at diagnosis or recurrence OR * Patient with optic pathway glioma or tumors of the brainstem/midbrain/tectum has radiologic verification of disease at diagnosis or recurrence * A repeat biopsy was done because the recurrent tumor was enhancing but did not originally enhance because there was a high index of suspicion regarding high-grade transformation * Tumor must be located in the suprasellar region or midline structures. Midline structures include, but are not limited to, the thalamus, basal ganglia, internal capsule, midbrain, tectum, third ventricle, fourth ventricle, cerebellum, pons, and medulla. Tumors may involve the optic pathway. For questions about tumor locations that are not specified on this list, please contact the Study PI. * Patients must be at least 6 years but less than 22 years of age at the time of enrollment. * Patients must have a performance status greater or equal to 70 (use Karnofsky scale for patients aged 16 years and older and Lansky scale for patients aged less than 16 years). * Patients may not receive concurrent chemotherapy or targeted therapy, including but not limited to BRAF-inhibitors and MEK-inhibitors. * All patients must be able to undergo contrast-enhanced brain MRI. * All patients must have adequate organ function as described below. * Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1000/µL * Platelet count ≥ 10,000/µL (transfusion independent) * Patients with seizures may be enrolled if well controlled on anticonvulsants Exclusion Criteria: * Patients may not have received prior CNS radiation. * Patients with gross total resection and no measurable disease via MRI are not eligible. Patients must have measurable disease of at least 1 cm via MRI. * Patients with evidence of metastatic disease are not eligible. * Patients with WHO grade II midline tumors that harbor the H3K27M mutation, IDH-mutant gliomas, grade II ependymomas and subependymomas, pituicytomas, spindle cell oncocytomas, or granular cell tumors of the sellar region are not eligible. * Patients with tumors that directly invade the hippocampus or with gross tumor volumes that extend into the hippocampus are not eligible. * Patients with tumors in the spine or cervicomedullary junction. * Females of child-bearing potential cannot be pregnant or breast feeding. Female participants \> 10 years of age or post menarche must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test before enrollment. Males and females of reproductive potential may not participate unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method. * Patients who are status post resection of bilateral hippocampi. Patients who are status post resection of one hippocampus will be eligible for the study and the hippocampal dose constraints will be applied to the intact hippocampus.