Massive gene scan finds brain tumor clues

Excerpt:

Posted by Elizabeth Cooney September 4, 2008 02:18 PM

A sweeping survey of cancer genes has turned up previously unknown mutations that lead to brain cancer and possibly explain resistance to a common chemotherapy drug used to treat it, Boston researchers from a multi-center team report. A paper appearing in Nature describes a systematic analysis of 206 glioblastoma multiforme tumors, the kind of cancer that Senator Edward M. Kennedy has. The gene search results come from the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, a $100 million pilot project funded by the National Institutes of Health to test this kind of large-scale systematic approach to cancer research.

The gene survey confirmed five mutations already identified in brain tumors and found three new ones. The researchers also tracked disruptions in cellular function that the mutations led to, including problems with cell division, cell growth, and repair of DNA damage.

Interesting Excerpt

Dog treated for brain tumors: Experimental test a trial for humans

If it works for ‘Batman’ and other dogs, it promises effective treatment, say Minneapolis researchers

By Josephine Marcotty

Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS — Batman has always been a hero to Anna and Eric Baker. Not the comic book variety, but a furry, 38-pound, bat-eared one who patiently lets their toddler climb all over him.

Now, if all goes well, he may also become a hero for the thousands of people — and tens of thousands of dogs — who each year have brain tumors diagnosed that are equally fatal in both.

Batman, a Shepard mix, is having surgery to remove a brain tumor, August 5, 2008, at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center. It’s the same kind of tumor that is common in people. Cancer researchers will use his surgery for an experimental advanced treatment.

On Aug. 5, Batman was the first patient to get an experimental therapy that researchers at the University of Minnesota hope will cure his brain cancer, which is the same kind that Sen. Ted Kennedy has. If it works for Batman and other dogs, they say, it holds enormous promise as an effective treatment for people, too.

Scorpion Venom May Help Treat Brain Cancer

Chemical May One Day Be Used to Seek Out, 'Paint' Brain Tumors

By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit

Aug. 11, 2008—

The sting of the Giant Yellow Israeli Scorpion packs a painful punch. Its venom contains a potent cocktail of neurotoxins that places an animal or human victim in excruciating agony.

It's not the first place most would think to look for a weapon against cancer. But doctors and researchers report that a particular component within this dangerous mix may be able to seek out brain tumor cells. And one researcher, as reported by ABC affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle, hope that doctors will one day be able to use this property to "paint" tumors for a surgeons to see.

"Right now it is difficult for a surgeon to be able to distinguish a brain tumor from the normal brain tissue around it," says Dr. James Olson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He says that this situation often presents today's brain surgeon with an unenviable decision: choose either to cut aggressively, potentially damaging healthy brain tissue, or cut conservatively and run the risk of leaving tumor cells behind.

Enter T-601, the synthetic version of a chemical first found in the scorpion's sting. Neurobiologist Harold Sontheimer of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was the first to explore the medical potential of this chemical, found that it was able to pass into the brain unobstructed. That's a feat for most chemicals, as the membrane that separates the brain from the bloodstream (known as the blood-brain barrier) is notoriously impermeable.

Is This Realistic for the Average Person Diagnosed with Brain Cancer

This compilation of experts was compared to a tumor board meeting - I think that's a bit of a stretch considering that it included doctors from 6 different institutions. What I would't have given for my father to have had access to such a juggernaut of info. This was not the case my friends - far from it for the average american. We were able to eventually get treatment from Duke, unboubtedly a top-notch brain cancer spot. That was after a number of bad experiences locally. To have multi-institutional input from the jump may not have saved my father but I would imagine it would have eased our minds a bit in the early days of his diagnosis.

Excerpt From:

The story behind Kennedy's brain surgery

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.

C.2008 NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE


What is known is that a few days after Kennedy learned he had a malignant brain tumor in the left parietal lobe, he invited a group of national experts to discuss his case.
The meeting on May 30 was extraordinary in at least two ways.

One was the ability of a powerful patient — in this case, a scion of a legendary political family and the chairman of the Senate’s health committee — to summon noted consultants to learn about the latest therapy and research findings.

The second was his efficiency in quickly convening more than a dozen experts from at least six academic centers. Some flew to Boston. Others participated by telephone after receiving pertinent test results and other medical records.

Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks

This cell phone thing is really starting to open people's eye's

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By JENNIFER C. YATES and SETH BORENSTEIN

The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 23, 2008; 9:11 PM

PITTSBURGH -- The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.