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A genetic factor predicts prognosis in brain tumor patients
June 28, 2007PLoS ONE has just published a study which defines a gene locus on chromosome 1 that predicts prognosis of brain tumor patients and may even set the basis for the development of more efficient drugs to combat brain cancer. Clinical and basic researchers from the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany, and the Emory University Atlanta, USA have defined the Notch2 gene as candidate gene for brain tumor development. The study was coordinated by Adrian Merlo, neurosurgeon at the University Hospital Basel.
The Notch2 locus highly predicts survival in subgroups of brain tumor patients. This gene is an important regulator of developmental processes. Taking advantage of a complex DNA duplication involving the Notch2 gene, the researchers developed a molecular assay that unambiguously distinguishes prognostically favorable brain tumor cases from cases that show rapid tumor progression.
In ongoing studies, the Basel researchers, supported by Ruth Chiquet from the Friedrich Miescher Institute, have found that Notch2 upregulates the tenascin-C gene which is well known to play a critical role in brain tumorigenesis. This new brain tumor pathway does not only offer precise diagnostic information, but also defines new targets for molecular intervention to develop drugs against this severe human disease.
Public Library of Science
Public Library of Science
Brain Tumor Current Events and Brain Tumor News RSSPediatric study finds alternatives for radiation of low-grade brain tumors
A multi-institutional study led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has found that using chemotherapy alone and delaying or avoiding cranial radiation altogether can be effective in treating pediatric patients with unresectable or progressive low-grade glioma.
New approach to gene therapy may shrink brain tumors, prevent their spread
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers are investigating a new approach to gene therapy for brain tumors - delivering a cancer-fighting gene to normal brain tissue around the tumor to keep it from spreading.
Family history of brain tumors linked to increased risk of brain cancer
People with a family history of cancerous brain tumors appear to be at higher risk of developing the same kind of tumors compared to people with no such family history.
Barrow researchers identify a new approach to detect the early progression of brain tumors
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center recently participated in a pilot study with the Montreal Neurological Institute that suggests a certain type of MRI scanning can detect when a patient is failing brain tumor treatment before symptoms appear.
Childhood brain tumor traced to normal stem cells gone bad
An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain "stem" cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Erectile dysfunction drugs allowed more chemotherapy to reach brain tumors in laboratory study
In a study using laboratory animals, researchers found that medications commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction opened a mechanism called the blood-brain tumor barrier and increased delivery of cancer-fighting drugs to malignant brain tumors.
Certain anticancer agents could be harmful to patients with heart disease
A set of promising new anticancer agents could have unforeseen risks in individuals with heart disease, suggests research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
St. Jude finds young age may give survival advantage to children with certain brain tumors
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have shown that children under 3 years old who have a brain tumor called diffuse pontine glioma (DPG) appear to have a better outcome than older children with the same cancer.
Brown Chemists Create Cancer-Detecting Nanoparticles
A team led by a Brown University chemist has created the smallest iron oxide nanoparticles to date for cancer detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The magnetic nanoparticles operate like tiny guided missiles, seeking and attaching themselves to malignant tumor cells. Once they bind, the particles emit stronger signals that MRI scans can detect.
MRI: A window to genetic properties of brain tumors
Doctors diagnose and prescribe treatment for brain tumors by studying, under a microscope, tumor tissue and cell samples obtained through invasive biopsy or surgery.
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