Glioma: Origin Of Brain Tumor Discovered
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Glioma is
the most common and most serious form of brain tumors that affect adults. It
has not yet been determined which specific type of cell in the brain is the
source of the tumor, but now scientists can show that glioma can start from immature
support cells.
In recent
years it has been discussed more and more often that it is neural stem cells in
the brain that are transmuted into cancer cells and can then develop into
glioma.
“But our
results show that immature support cells can function as the source cells for
the tumor. We can thus establish that it does not have to be stem cells that
cause glioma,” says Nanna Lindberg, a doctoral candidate at the Department of
Genetics and Pathology, who is carrying out the study.
She says
that patients with malignant glioma often die within a year of being diagnosed,
since the tumor cells rapidly infiltrate normal brain tissue and are difficult
to treat. It is also common for the tumor to recur after treatment. With a
better understanding of the genesis and growth of brain tumors, researchers
will be able to identify new targets for treatment and ultimately will enhance
the chances of survival.
To study
tumors, various models are used, often animal models where the tumor both looks
and behaves as it would in a human. In the present study a model is described
that Nanna Lindberg created together with Associate Professor Lene Uhrbom and
is used specifically for studying how glioma arises in a certain type of
support cells. In this model tumors are formed that in many ways are similar to
glioma in humans.
“Combining
knowledge from other models where tumors arise from other cell types, with our
model we can examine how the source cell affects the genesis and growth of the
tumor. We can also compare how tumors of various origin differ from each
other,” says Nanna Lindberg, adding that the model can later be used for
preclinical treatment studies.
