When it comes to treating cancer this is one area of the medical world where we simply haven’t seen the development or breakthroughs that we thought we would see as science advanced. This is something that has driven some people wild, as the medical community and the science community continue to rack their brains, and put forward better studies to understand things like brain tumors. However, like any cancer the true challenge is trying to understand what is happening at the root of the tumor or cancer, and treating that.
So many treatment options that exist currently fight the symptoms, instead of getting to the root of the causes of the cancer or tumor. Now though, a new study has unveiled a way to attack the cancer or tumor at its origin and prevent it from actually multiplying and regenerating. Dr. Albert H. Kim, who was the senior author of the study pointed out that, “A successful brain cancer treatment will very likely require blocking the tumor stem cells’ ability to survive and replenish themselves.” He went on to point out that, “This discovery may help us attack the root of some of the deadliest brain tumors.”
The study looked particularly at glioblastoma, which is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer in the world. The numbers aren’t good for those who are diagnosed with glioblastoma, either. Just 30% of people survive for more than 2-years after being diagnosed with such an illness. Now though, with new studies backing up the claims, a change might be on the way for this, and many other cancers, should this be successful. Kim went on to point out that, “These tumor stem cells are really the kingpins of cancers – the cells that direct and drive much of the harm done by tumors.”
The study found that lowering levels of CDC20 in patients with brain cancer was important. Kim pointed out that, “The rate of growth in some tumors lacking CDC20 dropped by 95% compared with tumors with more typical levels of CDC20.” That is a serious reduction and something that could have profound impacts on the way people perceive and handle brain cancer and brain tumors as a whole. Plus, the positive benefits of a study like this as it pertains to cancer treatment as a whole is significant.
Dr. David J. Langer, who is the chief of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, which is located in New York said that the long-term benefits of this study are immense. He said, “This is really the holy grail, this kind of individualized analysis, and we are beginning to reach that point.” While Langer wasn’t involved in the study, this is the type of impact we’re talking about when it comes to brain tumors and cancer treatment. The medical community has reached this point, of potentially massive breakthrough that hasn’t ever been seen before.