According to a new study, a gene that supports normal brain development also supports the growth of a brain tumor called glioblastoma.

The existence of rogue stem cells that refuse to die explains why an aggressive brain tumor known as glioblastoma typically isn’t extinguished by radiation therapy. A study in the December 7, 2006 issue of Nature* shows that the therapy fails to kill a small but potent fraction of cancerous cells – about 5 percent of those in the tumor.

Screening glioblastoma brain tumors for two gene variations can reliably predict which tumors will respond to a specific class of drugs, a new study shows. The findings may lead to improved treatment for this devastating disease.

Doctors who treat brain tumors and other kinds of cancer have long struggled to understand why some patients respond well to therapy while others do not. In recent years, it has become clear that the answer lies at least partially in the genes. Two studies now show that identifying the "genetic fingerprints" of some childhood brain tumors can greatly improve diagnosis and predict patients' long-term survival. The findings help researchers understand how the tumors develop and may lead to improved ways of treating them.
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Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have developed a new drug that can reduce the size of some persistent brain tumors without causing severe side effects. A report of the first clinical trial of this drug, called transferrin-CRM107, will appear in the December 1997 issue of Nature Medicine.

In spite of advances in neurosurgery and radiation techniques, the prognosis for patients with intracranial glioma remains devastating. Now, researchers have identified a possible new treatment strategy for this common type of malignant brain tumor.
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