Brain Cancer News and Research

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There are two main types of brain cancer. Primary brain cancer starts in the brain. Metastatic brain cancer starts somewhere else in the body and moves to the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly. Also called glioma, meningioma.

No link between cell phone use and increased risk for brain cancer: European study

A new study that looked at cell phone users under the age of 20 found no link between cell phone use and an increased risk for brain cancer. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, Switzerland, studied data collected in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

27 Jul 2011

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation for Diffusion's TSC to treat glioblastoma multiforme

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC announced today that trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), the company's lead drug candidate, has been granted an Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of primary brain cancer, also known as glioblastoma multiforme or GBM.

27 Jul 2011

Researchers examine benefits of hyperbaric oxygen in treatment of aggressive brain cancer

In a unique study, researchers at The Long Island Brain Tumor Center at Neurological Surgery, P.C. are examining whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy - breathing pure oxygen while in a pressurized chamber - may prove a useful addition to the current standard of care for patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

22 Jul 2011

Novel combined technique for treating neoplastic meningitis, hydrocephalus

Approximately five to ten percent of patients with primary or metastatic cancer suffer from devastating neurological complications such as headaches, seizures, confusion, difficulty swallowing and visual disturbances. These deficits are caused by a life-threatening form of brain invasion from cancer called neoplastic meningitis.

15 Jul 2011

UCI study sheds light on how transplantation alleviates side effects of radiotherapy

Human neural stem cells are capable of helping people regain learning and memory abilities lost due to radiation treatment for brain tumors, a UC Irvine study suggests.

14 Jul 2011

Progesterone could fight against neuroblastoma

High doses of the hormone progesterone can kill neuroblastoma cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found in laboratory research.

14 Jul 2011

Patients with brain cancer may benefit from stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy may restore cognition in patients with brain cancer who experience functional learning and memory loss often associated with radiation treatment, according to a laboratory study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

14 Jul 2011

Pediatricians debunk pearls of medical wisdom

Don't Cross Your Eyes-They'll Get Stuck that Way!, a new book by myth-fighting Indiana University School of Medicine pediatricians Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel Vreeman, M.D., M.S., debunks the pearls of medical wisdom that many people and even their physicians believe are true. Be prepared to revise your thinking; no, an apple a day won't keep the doctor away and no, warm milk won't help you sleep.

8 Jul 2011

New target could halt growth of glioblastoma

Researchers have uncovered a new target that could stop the growth of glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers identify cellular origin of malignant glioma

Using a mouse genetic system co-developed by researchers at the University of Oregon and Stanford University, a research team led by UO biologist Hui Zong has isolated the cellular origin for malignant glioma, a deadly human brain cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Eighteen scientists receive Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 18 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its spring Fellowship Award Committee review.

7 Jul 2011

Freeze-dried gene therapy system safe and effective for treating brain cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a technique that delivers gene therapy into human brain cancer cells using nanoparticles that can be freeze-dried and stored for up to three months prior to use. The shelf-stable particles may obviate the need for virus-mediated gene therapy, which has been associated with safety concerns.

7 Jul 2011

New report suggests only small risk of mobile phones causing cancer

"A committee of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection has concluded after a comprehensive review that there is little cause for concern about the suggested link between mobile phone use and brain tumours," BMJ reports.

6 Jul 2011

Two defective genes may cause telomere elongations in cancer cells: Study

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have provided more clues to one of the least understood phenomena in some cancers: why the "ends caps" of cellular DNA, called telomeres, lengthen instead of shorten.

1 Jul 2011

Avastin for breast cancer still covered by Medicare despite FDA indecision

The Medicare will continue to cover Avastin for breast cancer treatment even if U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Peggy Hamburg decides to withdraw Avastin for such use, according to Don McLeod, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. McLeod said, in his statement, “The FDA decision, when it comes, does not affect CMS.”

1 Jul 2011

Sensitivity of bladder cancer cells linked to chemotherapy and expression of miR-34a gene

Researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center have discovered a way of sensitizing muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells so that they succumb to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The finding adds to mounting evidence that tiny strands of RNA - called microRNA - play key roles in some of the deadliest types of cancer.

30 Jun 2011

TCGA examines ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients

An analysis of genomic changes in ovarian cancer has provided the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genes for any cancer type to date. Ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients were examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network and analyses are reported in the June 30, 2011, issue of Nature.

30 Jun 2011

Department of Defense awards Impel Phase II SBIR grant for blood-brain barrier bypass technology

Impel NeuroPharma, a medical device company whose technology is designed to enable pharmaceutical drugs to bypass the blood-brain barrier and enter the central nervous system (CNS), today announced that it was selected to receive a Phase II Small Business Investigational Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Defense's Chemical and Biological Defense SBIR Program entitled, "Blood Brain Barrier Drug Delivery of Therapeutics for Chemical Warfare Agents."

24 Jun 2011

Arno AR-67 Phase II clinical study for glioblastoma meets pre-defined interim goals

Arno Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its Phase II clinical study of AR-67 has met pre-defined interim goals for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) who were not previously treated with Avastin and will continue toward completion.

23 Jun 2011