Scientists develop technique to target brain tumour growth
Date: 4.5.2006
A team of researchers have developed a strategy in which genes linked to cancer mutations could easily be identified aiding predictions as to which patient will respond favourably to novel drug treatments.
The study is important because the aggressive combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy used to treat medulloblastoma fails to cure many patients, according to researchers.
Therefore, there is a great need to identify alternative therapies, such as novel drugs that block signalling pathways that are abnormally activated. Such treatments could not only save lives but also eliminate the severe side effects caused by current therapies.
The new method is set to particularly benefit children who often undergo chemotherapy that is unpredictable and dangerous to the individual. The technique aims to reduce this by locating specific pathways in cancer that might be vulnerable to novel therapies, speeding development of so-called molecular-targeted therapies for a wide variety of cancers.
"Source":[ http://www.drugresearcher.com/news/ng.asp?n=67136-medulloblastoma-children-cancer].
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