L glioblastoma multiforme it is a tumor with a particularly severe diagnostic picture. Thanks to a collaboration between UConn Health and The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) what makes cancer cells so adaptable, dangerous and sometimes able to evade therapeutic treatments is being discovered.
The results of the Research have been published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
Glioblastoma multiforme: some details on the study
Glioblastoma multiforme or gliomas are insidious tumors that originate from the glia, the supporting tissue in the brain. They develop through the brain and sometimes the spinal cord, intertwining and attaching to normal brain and nerve cells in a way that makes them difficult to cut. The name glioma means “glue tumor” in Latin. According to the National Cancer Institute, about three in 100,000 people in the United States will receive it, most commonly after age 60.
Treatment of glioblastoma multiformes usually includes surgery, radiation therapy, and then chemotherapy. Unfortunately, these cancers are difficult to treat with drugs, inevitably adapting to evade the anticancer drugs that at first appeared to reduce cancer.
New evidence reported by JAX researchers in collaboration with UConn Health Neurosurgery shows that cancer cells can change the genes they express and when, in response to environmental stress, such as when attacked with chemotherapy drugs. These are called epigenetic changes because cancer cells don’t change genes themselves. Instead, they appear to chemically modify their genes on the fly, covering or uncovering them as needed to survive.
UConn Health’s chief of neurosurgery Ketan Bulsara coordinates UConn Health’s collaboration on this project, observed appropriate patient samples to contribute to research with Dr. Qian Wu of neuropathology and Dr. Kevin Becker, director of medical neuro-oncology. “This document highlights a mechanism by which cancer potentially adapts to our treatment methods ”.
“By understanding these escape methods used by the tumor, we can neutralize them more effectively. This transformational work has truly provided us with great insights into glioblastoma multiforme. The work conducted by Dr. Verhaak at the Jackson Laboratory, which is one of the most, if not the most eminent, researcher in brain tumor research, will continue to provide us with new insights into this devastating tumor and ultimately improve the care of the brain. patient, ”Explained Bulsara.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) it’s a a rare cancer that affects the brain and is the most common brain tumor in adults. It is a very fast growing cancer that tends to spread to nearby normal brain tissue. GBMs are a type of astrocytoma, that is, they develop in cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes help support nerve cells and bring nutrients to them.
Brain tumors are graded on a scale of 1 (I) to 4 (IV) based on how fast they grow. Grade I brain tumors grow very slowly and rarely spread to nearby tissues. Grade IV is the most aggressive. Glioblastoma multiforme is a grade IV astrocytoma: they grow rapidly and often invade nearby brain tissue. They rarely spread to other parts of the body, i.e. they metastasize.
These tumors are rarely curable but the available therapeutic treatments can help people live longer by controlling tumor growth. GBMs tend to occur between the ages of 45 and 70, but can also occur at other ages. They are very rare in children.
Experts are still trying to figure out what causes glioblastoma multiformes. Astrocytes are generally very controlled and organized cells. Something happens that causes them to multiply and form tumors. It is unclear what causes this, but the researchers have found a number of changes, or mutations, in the genes within the cancer cells.. Some of these mutations affect the ability of cells to self-regulate. Rarely, a lower-grade tumor will turn into a GBM over time.
Some of the symptoms of GBM have to do with where the tumor begins. For example, if it grows in an area that controls arm movements, the arm may become weak. If it grows in an area that controls the ability to speak, you may have difficulty formulating a speech.
As the tumor continues to grow, it begins to take up space. This increases the pressure inside the skull. Some of the symptoms of GBM are caused by increased pressure in the brain.