Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC)is a genetic disorder with a birth incidence of approximately one in six thousand. Five to twenty percent of patients with TSC will develop astrocytoma, a slowly progressive tumor. They grow and cause damage to surrounding brain tissue, blockage of spinal fluid (hydrocephalus), blindness, trouble walking, seizures, and brain damage. If untreated, they can be fatal. Standard treatment involves surgery to remove the tumor; however surgery may itself cause brain damage, bleeding, or infection, as well as other complications. Studies have shown that everolimus suppresses the chemicals that cause tumors to grow in tuberous sclerosis, and may cause them to shrink.
The primary objective of this study is to find out the effects of everolimus on astrocytomas in a six month trial in patients with Tuberous Sclerosis who have been diagnosed with an astrocytoma
