Brain Tumors
Fast Facts |
Key Research |
More Resources
- Primary brain tumors form in brain tissue because of abnormal cell growth and can occur in several different forms.
- The most common brain tumors are gliomas, which begin in the supportive, glial tissue. There are several types of gliomas: astrocytomas, brain stem gliomas, ependymomas, and oligodendrogliomas. Other types of brain tumors begin in other regions of the brain.
- In rare cases, cancer cells may break away from a malignant brain tumor and spread to other parts of the brain, to the spinal cord, or to other parts of the body.
Read more about brain and spinal-cord cancer symptoms and treatment options at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. »
Targeting tumors with “paint” in the operating room
Dr. James Olson, along with researchers from the Hutchinson Center and Seattle Children’s, has developed a tumor "paint," derived from scorpions, that has been shown to help surgeons to remove all cancerous cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. Before this discovery, there had been no way to allow surgeons to see tumors "live" during surgery. The technique, which can illuminate precisely where tumors begin and end, is in the late stages of testing and could be in operating rooms soon. Read more about tumor paint. »
Finding new treatment possibilities for childhood brain cancer
- Dr. James Olson, Hutchinson Center colleagues and researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have shown that a plant chemical known as cyclopamine stops the growth of the most common form of malignant childhood brain cancer, called medulloblastoma. Drugs like cyclopamine block a specific pathway that is critical for medulloblastoma growth. They represent a first step toward the goal of replacing more toxic therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Read more about anti-cancer drugs and brain tumors. »
Identifying childhood brain cancer’s causes
Dr. Valera Vasioukhin and colleagues have discovered that a gene in mice that is necessary for normal brain development and may contribute to the most common form of primary brain tumors in children. Known as lethal giant larvae 1, or Lgl1, the gene was found to play a critical role in shaping cell behavior during embryonic brain development. Read more about the genetics of brain development and cancer. »
- The Hutchinson Center is on a mission to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death, and you can help. Make a gift today. »
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Ave. N. PO Box 19024 Seattle, WA 98109
©2009 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a nonprofit organization.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.
