Share

Why brain cancer is so hard to treat

Researchers have found that brain cancer cells can turn themselves into blood vessel cells to counter drugs designed to cut off a tumour's blood supply and deprive it of oxygen and nutrients.

This ensures an adequate oxygen supply, according to the researchers, and it helps explain why glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer, resists nearly all treatment efforts.

They also said that the finding, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates the need to rethink current glioblastoma therapy and perhaps develop drugs that take aim at new targets.

"Disrupting the formation of tumour blood vessels is not enough," Inder Verma, a genetics professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, Calif., and the research team leader, said in a Salk news release. "We also have to prevent the conversion of tumour cells into blood vessel cells."


(Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE