Brain Tumor News and Research

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A Brain Tumor is the growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to damage in developing brain tissue

The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), widely used in products such as food cans, milk container linings, water pipes and even dental sealants, has now been found to disrupt important effects of estrogen in the developing brain.

2 Dec 2005

Discovery of novel form of regulation of the GLI1 gene

The Quaking gene, first described as a mutation in mice that causes rapid tremor, is thought to suppress tumor formation and protect humans from cancer.

14 Nov 2005

Researchers can now identify patients likely to respond to cancer drug therapy

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer have identified key characteristics in certain deadly brain tumors that make them 51 times more likely to respond to a specific class of drugs than tumors in which the molecular signature is absent.

13 Nov 2005

EphA2 represents a promising treatment target for glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have identified a second promising treatment target for glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most deadly types of brain tumors. The research results are reported in the October issue of Molecular Cancer Research.

1 Nov 2005

Functional diffusion map to help predict brain tumor outcomes

A special type of MRI scan that measures the movement of water molecules through the brain can help doctors determine halfway through treatment whether it will successfully shrink the tumor or a patient's cancer will continue to grow, a new study shows.

1 Nov 2005

Novel mouse model of medulloblastoma

A collaboration of researchers, led by Dr. Martine Roussel of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, has developed a novel mouse model of medulloblastoma -- the most prevalent malignant pediatric brain tumor -- that the researchers hope will more accurately represent the genetic changes involved in human brain tumor development.

30 Oct 2005

Study looks at childrens end-of-life care preferences

Pediatric cancer patients as young as 10 years old who are aware that their disease is incurable have the ability to participate meaningfully in discussions of their own end-of-life care with family members and the health care team, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Sydney Children's Hospital.

5 Oct 2005

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified three new genetic mutations in brain tumors

...a discovery that could pave the way for more effective cancer treatments.

27 Sep 2005

Nearly one-third of former brain tumor patients require special education services

Children who survive brain cancer struggle for years with the malevolent echo of the disease and its treatment, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

22 Aug 2005

Adult stem cells may play a role in the development of some forms of cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that stem cells in a certain region of the brain may be the source of a particular type of incurable brain tumor and may be implicated in other types of brain cancers as well.

16 Aug 2005

Combined gene therapy eliminates glioblastoma multiforme in lab studies

Despite aggressive treatment, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common and deadly of brain cancers - usually claims the lives of its victims within six to 12 months of diagnosis. Because GBM is so aggressive, the disease has been the target of a number of laboratory and clinical studies investigating the effectiveness of gene therapy to deliver novel therapies to the brain.

15 Aug 2005

Doctors in the U.S. hope brain-dead woman will give birth

According to her family, a brain-dead, pregnant, American woman on life life-support, has reached the stage of pregnancy where her baby could survive outside the womb.

23 Jul 2005

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing Glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) affects three out of 100,000 people, a rate that quadruples to 13 out 100,000 among people who are 65 and older. The average five-year survival rate from the time of diagnosis for GBM is only 3.3 percent, and is lower for people 65 and older.

15 Jul 2005

Treatment options for skull base tumors

It is estimated that in 2000, more than 359,000 persons were living with a diagnosis of a primary brain tumor in the United States. In 2005, it is estimated that nearly 12,800 deaths will be associated with malignant tumors of the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children age 19 and younger.

28 Jun 2005

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have shown that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) - a minimally invasive way of destroying tissue - is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients.

20 Jun 2005

Study examines biomarkers for response to erlotinib in glioma

Researchers have found two biomarkers that, in patients with a malignant type of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme, were associated with response to the cancer drug erlotinib (Tarceva).

14 Jun 2005

Chemotherapy for brain tumors is boosted after vaccine targets resistance-related TRP-2 antigen

In the August issue of the journal Oncogene, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute describe a molecular mechanism that appears to make malignant brain tumors more vulnerable to chemotherapy after they have been treated with the dendritic cell vaccine.

13 Jun 2005

European approval of Temodal (temozolomide) capsules for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme

Schering-Plough announced today that the European Commission has granted approval of Temodal (temozolomide) Capsules for first-line use for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer.

10 Jun 2005

U.S. Supreme Court overules states and makes marijuana for medicinal use illegal

A U.S. Supreme Court has decreed that the Federal Government has the power to prevent sick patients from smoking home-grown marijuana that a doctor recommended to relieve chronic pain. The 6 to 3 ruling by a divided court is a major setback for the medical use of marijuana.

6 Jun 2005

Is there a link between cell phones and brain tumors?

Is there a link between cell phones and brain tumors? Over the past 15 years, there has been growing concern about this possibility. Part of this concern stems from the fact that there are over one billion cell phone subscribers worldwide, and the number is increasing.

31 May 2005