Cholesterol-lowering Drugs May Treat Brain Cancer | www.dailyrx.com

One of the most exciting frontiers in oncology is discovering molecular behavior that responds to existing drug therapies. Just such a discovery has been made regarding a deadly form of brain cancer.

Researchers have found that glioblastoma, one of the most lethal forms of brain cancer, needs large amounts of cholesterol to survive and grow. This finding opens the door to testing if cholesterol-lowering agents could be used to treat this cancer.

Early results show that cholesterol meds may treat brain cancer.

Investigators have uncovered that a cancer-causing gene known as EGFR VIII increases production of cholesterol.?Lead investigator, Paul Mischel, M.D., professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, says this is not surprising given the fact that cholesterol is crucial in making new membranes - something fast growing tumors need in abundance.

This study, which involved glioblastoma cell lines, mouse models and clinical samples taken from patients, adds to the growing body of work focusing on cutting off the supplies tumors need to grow.

Among the candidates that hold promise is a class of drugs known as vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, which block blood supply to the tumor. Avastin (bevacizumab) was named in the study.

Dr. Mischel concludes that if this laboratory study can be confirmed in larger studies, cholesterol-lowering medications may become a glioblastoma treatment option.

This study was published study published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Brain Tumors

Each year in the United States, over 25,000 people will be newly diagnosed with some form of primary malignant brain tumor, and over 90,000 people are currently living with the disease and undergoing treatment. Approximately 13,000 of these patients will die from the disease, representing 2% of all cancer deaths.

Brain tumors encompass a wide variety of types of cancer, some more aggressive than others. They include:

  • Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) ? A deadly tumor forming in the white matter of the brain. Makes up 52% of all cerebral tumors and most common in white and Asian men over age 50. It is very difficult to treat and average survival after diagnosis is 14 months.
  • Astrocytoma ? a tumor that forms from the glial cells in the brain (support cells for neurons). These can be benign or malignant (GBM is a form of astrocytoma) and appear in young children as well.
  • Oligodendroglioma ? arise from the oligodendrocytes (insulating cells for axoms). They appear mostly in adults around age 35 and represent about 10% of all primary brain tumors and tend to recur after treatment.
  • Ependymoma ? arises from tissues in the brain that surround the drainage system of the brain. They represent about 5% of adult brain tumors, and 10% of pediatric brain tumors, peaking at age 35 and earlier at age 5. Often they end up causing hydrocephalus, or ?water on the brain."

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Brain tumors are caused by a change in genetics, much like any other cancer that causes cells to grow out of control. Some brain tumors are associated with specific chromosomal changes, but in most cases, the cause of a brain tumor is unknown, and due to some combination of genetic instability and environmental damage.

Symptoms of a brain tumor depend mainly on the size of the tumor and where it is located in the brain. Because the brain is housed in the skull, a growing tumor will cause something called mass effect, where the enlarging tumor is taking up too much space and cause increased pressure in the brain. This can cause terrible headaches, nausea, vomiting, and changes in consciousness among other specific signs. In other cases, the growing tumor may encroach upon a part of the brain that has a specific function, and cause that function to cease. Depending on what part of the brain the tumor is in, language, motor coordination, vision, balance, and paralysis can occur. In both cases, a brain tumor can present immediately or after several years of growing.

Diagnosis of a brain tumor will ultimately be made by CT scan and MRI. Treatment of brain tumors involves surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, or some combination of the three. Each modality presents its own risks and benefits. Surgery is sometimes not possible because of risk to damage of vital brain structures necessary for life.

Prognosis for a brain tumor is entirely dependent on the type of tumor and its location. Some tumors grow very fast and are inoperable due to the cell type and location, and these patients have a poor prognosis. Other brain tumors can be lived with for years, or quickly and easily treated with surgery.

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Source: http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/glioblastoma-may-be-treated-endothelial-growth-factor-inhibitors-15291.html

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