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Experts in New York have suggested a new way to tackle brain tumors by attacking a virus often found in the glioblastomas cancer. The current surgical treatments for glioblastomas owing to the tumors deep position in the brain carry a significant risk of brain damage. The new technique which may halt the growth of the cancer virus could provide an alternative to surgical treatments.
The new study has been undertaken by oncologist Duane Mitchell at Duke University Medical Centre and colleagues. In the study Mitchell and his colleagues have build on previous research showing the consistent presence of cytomegalovirus, a type of herpesvirus, in glioblastoma cells but not in surrounding healthy tissue.
It has been impossible until now for the immune system to distinguish brain tumor cells from healthy cells as they often have the same identifying marker proteins, called antigens. It becomes more difficult to distinguish between tumor and healthy cells as brain tumors often suppress immune function.The new discovery may help doctors to pursue their favored way of allowing the body's own immune system to attack cancer cells, systematically destroying them from the brain tissue without harming nearby healthy cells.
The new study has been undertaken by oncologist Duane Mitchell at Duke University Medical Centre and colleagues. In the study Mitchell and his colleagues have build on previous research showing the consistent presence of cytomegalovirus, a type of herpesvirus, in glioblastoma cells but not in surrounding healthy tissue.
It has been impossible until now for the immune system to distinguish brain tumor cells from healthy cells as they often have the same identifying marker proteins, called antigens. It becomes more difficult to distinguish between tumor and healthy cells as brain tumors often suppress immune function.The new discovery may help doctors to pursue their favored way of allowing the body's own immune system to attack cancer cells, systematically destroying them from the brain tissue without harming nearby healthy cells.
