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).

Novartis receives FDA approval for Afinitor to treat renal angiomyolipomas caused by TSC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Afinitor (everolimus), the first drug approved specifically to treat non-cancerous kidney tumors (renal angiomyolipomas) not requiring immediate surgery in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex.

27 Apr 2012

Test can reliably diagnose and monitor brain tumor without the need for surgery

In a breakthrough for the way brain cancer is diagnosed and monitored, a team of researchers, lead by Anna M. Krichevsky, PhD, of the Center of Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston and Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, director of Neuro-Oncology at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, have demonstrated that brain tumors can be reliably diagnosed and monitored without surgery.

19 Apr 2012

Autologous HSPPC-96 vaccine clinically beneficial for GBM patients

Study results from a Phase II multicenter clinical trial tracking the impact that autologous heat shock protein-peptide vaccine (HSPPC-96) has on recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients showed that such a vaccine may be clinically beneficial.

18 Apr 2012

New brain cancer vaccine with material from own tumors proves effective in clinical trial

A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme-which kills thousands of Americans every year.

18 Apr 2012

Brainlab announces first patient procedures with Curve Image Guided Surgery at UCSF

Brainlab, a leader in software-driven medical technology, announced today the first patient procedures with Curve Image Guided Surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center's Neuro-Oncology Clinic.

17 Apr 2012

Hydrophilic carbon cluster HADES can selectively kill brain cancer cells

Nanomedicine researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute and Rice University have developed a way to selectively kill brain cancer cells by using a tiny syringe to deliver a combination of chemotherapy drugs directly into the cells. These findings will be published in the April 24 issue of the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.

17 Apr 2012

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone to present at AANS annual meeting

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone Medical Center will present research and discuss surgical approaches and use of new technologies to treat neurosurgical conditions at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), held April 14-18, 2012 in Miami Beach, FL.

16 Apr 2012

New technique could help improve prognosis of patients with brain cancers

Like special-forces troops laser-tagging targets for a bomber pilot, tiny particles that can be imaged three different ways at once have enabled Stanford University School of Medicine scientists to remove brain tumors from mice with unprecedented accuracy.

16 Apr 2012

Too frequent dental X-rays linked to higher risk of brain tumors

A new study has found that people who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of developing meningioma - a type of brain tumor. The study was published online Tuesday in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

11 Apr 2012

Regular dental x-rays increase risk of meningioma in the U.S.

People who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of developing the most commonly diagnosed primary brain tumor in the United States. That is the finding of a study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

10 Apr 2012

New treatment approach halts spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue

Treating invasive brain tumors with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation has improved clinical outcomes, but few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis. The effectiveness of the treatment is limited by the tumor's aggressive invasion of healthy brain tissue, which restricts chemotherapy access to the cancer cells and complicates surgical removal of the tumor.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers design new treatment approach for invasive brain tumors

Researchers from Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed a new treatment approach that appears to halt the spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue in animal models.

29 Mar 2012

WCI technique uses MRS to detect oncometabolites

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute have developed a technique for detecting an "oncometabolite", a chemical produced by some brain tumors' warped metabolism, via non-invasive imaging.

23 Mar 2012

Fat-enclosed nanoparticles can directly irradiate brain tumor

For the past 40 years, radiation has been the most effective method for treating deadly brain tumors called glioblastomas. But, although the targeting technology has been refined, beams of radiation still must pass through healthy brain tissue to reach the tumor, and patients can only tolerate small amounts before developing serious side effects.

21 Mar 2012

CCN1 protein orchestrates cellular antiviral response in the extracellular matrix

Brain-tumor cells that are infected with a cancer-killing virus release a protein "alarm bell" that warns other tumor cells of the impending infection and enables them to mount a defense against the virus, according to a study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

16 Mar 2012

MRI perfusion imaging can help determine brain tumor progression

Gliomas, the most common malignant brain tumors in adults, can be difficult to treat because of their aggressive and invasive nature. In treating patients with gliomas, it is increasingly important that doctors be able to detect tumor changes early when there's a better chance for recovery.

14 Mar 2012

World's tallest living man stops growing at 8ft 3 inches

Sultan Kosen has been named the world's tallest living man by Guinness World Records for three consecutive years. In the last three months, the 29-year-old Turkish man has only recently stopped growing thanks to receiving treatment in the U.S.

14 Mar 2012

Persistent protein expression may explain why tumors return after therapy in glioblastoma patients

Persistent protein expression may explain why tumors return after therapy in glioblastoma patients, according to a study published on March 5th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

6 Mar 2012

REST molecule acts as an adapter in stem cells, times neuronal development

Upon fertilisation, a single cell is formed when egg and sperm fuse. Our entire body, with more than 200 specialised cell types and billions of cells are formed from this single cell. It is a scientific mystery how the early stem cells know what cell type to become, but a precise timing of the process is crucial for correct development and function of our body.

3 Mar 2012

F-DOPA PET/CT imaging alters management plans for patients with brain cancer

Imaging amino acid transporters with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been shown to significantly alter intended management plans for patients with brain tumors, according to research in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

2 Mar 2012