Cancer Stem Cells May Be At The Root Of Brain Tumors
ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2007) — Stem cells -- popularly known as a
source of biological rejuvenation -- may play harmful roles in the
body, specifically in the growth and spread of cancer. Amongst the
wildly dividing cells of a tumor, scientists have located cancer stem
cells. Physician-scientist
studying these cells with hopes of combating malignant cancers in the
brain.
"Some patients' brain tumors respond to chemotherapy and some don't,"
says Dr. John A. Boockvar, the Alvina and Willis Murphy Assistant
Professor of Neurological Surgery and head of the Brain Tumor
Research Group at NewYork-Presbyteria
Center. "We believe cancer stem cells may be the cause."
Dr. Boockvar is capturing and classifying these cancer stem cells in
order to determine how they react to certain available drug
therapies. Doing so will lead to more accurate and specific cancer
diagnosis, allowing for tailored drug treatments. Results explaining
the techniques used to harvest normal neural and brain-tumor-
stem cells will be described in the January 2008 edition of the
journal Neurosurgery.
"Cataloging brain tumor stem cells will be an enormous tool for
patient diagnosis," explains Dr. Boockvar, "but it will also help to
create a library of knowledge for the scientific community to
understand how brain tumors form and to test and develop new drugs."
To stave off cancer stem cell growth in the brain, Dr. Boockvar is
studying the use of two drugs already available for cancer treatment.
Tarceva -- approved for the treatment of lung and pancreatic cancer --
works by stopping the growth and spread of cancer cells. Avastin --
approved for the treatment of colorectal cancers -- is also being
studied for inhibiting cancer cell growth and works by stopping the
growth of blood vessels (angiogenesis) that feed the tumor.
Preliminary results from these trials have shown that some patients'
cancers are wiped out, whereas others remain resistant. Dr. Boockvar
believes that these patients' drug resistance might be due to a class
of stem cells resilient to available treatments. Finding biomarkers
that distinguish these stem cells from those that are destroyed by
known drugs might help researchers formulate new drugs.
"Determining a patient's cancer stem cell profile will take a lot of
the guessing out of choosing a course of treatment," says Dr.
Boockvar. "It will save money, medical resources and precious time
for the patient."
Adapted from materials provided by New York- Presbyterian
Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
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(2007, December 24). Cancer Stem Cells May Be At The Root Of Brain
Tumors. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from
http://www.scienced
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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