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News archive 2009 |
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The latest brain cancer research, minis and pickups...
The most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults is actually a set of four different pathologies, according to a study published on Tuesday that could lead to more targeted treatment. This would sit with the idea that treatments for brain cancer need to be personalised - a bit like taking your car into the garage, You wouldn’t expect a mini to be treated the same way as a pickup.
This study, researched by Dr. Neil Hayes of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues, found that the separate subtypes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumours may form in different types of cells and thus require separate therapies.
"We discovered a bundle of events that unequivocally occur almost exclusively within a subtype," lead author Neil Hayes of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said in a statement. "These are critical events in the history of the tumour's development and spread, and evidence is increasing that they may relate to the initial formation of the tumours."
Such research means that we are a step closer to finding treatments which work for these particularly aggressive tumours. This will lead to improved personalised therapies, as doctors will be able to select drugs for some types of brain tumours. All good news on a grey day.
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Category: Research News | Published: 20 January 2010
