New Trends and Treatments in the Brain Tumor World

Research is vital in discovering how to classify, treat, and learn as much as possible about brain tumors. The summer 2005 issue of Messageline, published by the ABTA, is filled with promising news about new therapies and treatments that are emerging, thanks to the generous donations to the ABTA.  Progress continues to be made on many fronts as scientists and researchers explore a variety of treatments and research topics.  What follows is a synopsis of the research edition of the ABTA’s newsletter, which gives readers an overview of the progress that is being made in the fight against brain tumors.  For the full text of the newsletter which will be summarized below, please link to
http://hope.abta.org/site/DocServer/Summer05Newsletter.pdf?docID=681&JServSessionIdr012=52wrnlflw1.app5a

CED
CED stands for “convection-enhanced therapy” – a promising new technique that involves surgically placing catheters directly into the brain.  This method bypasses the blood-brain barrier, using gravity and pressure to “flow” therapeutic substances into and around the tumor site.  Almost a dozen brain tumor trials have employed this method, and interest in the technique is quickly growing.  

Imaging
The science of collecting information about the tumor is a hot topic in the research community, and great advances have been made in this area.  Advances such as operating tables that are able to store MRI scanners, and “diffusion” MRI technology, which traces the movement of water through the brain, are just a few ways that physicians are better able to collect information and effectively treat tumors, as well as reducing the time it takes to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. 

Tissue Banking
Scientists are developing libraries of the genetic alterations found in tumors – samples of the proteins, enzymes, and growth factors contained in the tumor tissues.  Tumor tissue samples are being collected at the time of surgery, and are being evaluated and cataloged to look for clues about the origins and biologic behavior of individual brain tumors.

Targeted Therapies
Molecular biologists are working to develop a classification system built upon tumor cell genetics, rather than tumor appearance.  Therapies specifically developed to match these genetic patterns are referred to as “targeted therapies.”  Some currently existing targeted therapies include drugs such as Iressa, Gefitinib, and Cyclopamine, and researchers are pushing to develop more of these therapeutic substances that target specific genetic patterns.

Biologic Therapies
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and that seems to be the case with some substances that are being used to fight brain tumors.  Scorpion venom, e-coli, diphtheria, and other toxic substances are being genetically re-engineered in research laboratories for use in killing tumor cells and as delivery methods for carrying drugs or substances into a tumor.   Research focuses on the safest ways to replicate these modified substances while programming them to affect only tumor cells.

Changing the Standard of Care
This phrase refers to what is acceptable and expected from medical professionals in any given locale.  Currently, the standard of care varies between community practice settings and academic institutions.  A recent medical journal article has received attention for suggesting that research be done to investigate the benefits of establishing practice guidelines dealing with things such as use of chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, length of hospital stay, and other issues. 

The issues listed above are just a few of the hot topics in the medical and research fields dealing with brain tumors.  Donations to the American Brain Tumor Association have supported these and other valuable projects, and the search for new treatments and technologies will continue, thanks to the generous support of our donors.  Please be sure to link to the full article (web address listed above) to obtain further details on any of the trends or treatments mentioned above. 
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