Brain cancer research
Around 4,400 people are diagnosed with brain cancer, or cancer of the central nervous system, in the UK every year.
Survival rates are poor – fewer than 1 in 10 adults diagnosed with brain cancer are alive ten years later, so research in this area is vital. For children, the survival rates have doubled since the 1960s.
Cancer Research UK supports a broad programme of research into brain cancer. We want to understand the biology of the disease and improve its diagnosis and treatment.
We have made great progress in the design and development of drugs. For example, we funded research that led to the development of temozolomide, a drug that is used to treat people with some forms of brain cancer. It can be taken orally, which means patients don’t have to attend lots of hospital appointments.
We provide information for people with brain cancer and their families and friends on our patient information website, CancerHelp UK.
Understanding the causes
Sometimes people inherit a faulty gene that increases their risk of developing brain cancer. Cancer Research UK funds research investigating how inherited genes influence the risk of the disease.
Our research in this area will help us understand more about how and why brain tumours develop. And it could help us identify those most at risk of brain cancer. This should improve the diagnosis of brain tumours and help doctors tailor treatments to individual patients more effectively.
Professor Richard Houlston and his team at The Institute of Cancer Research in Surrey are conducting a huge study to pinpoint some of the inherited genes involved in brain cancer. They are using sophisticated laboratory techniques to compare the genes from blood samples of brain cancer patients with those of people unaffected by the disease.
Professor Meena Upadhyaya and her team at Cardiff University are researching an inherited disorder called neurofibromatosis type 1. This is caused by faults in the NF1 gene. People with faulty NF1 genes are at increased risk of brain tumours. The team hope to find the specific faults in the gene that contribute to the development of cancer. They also aim to link this to the type and aggressiveness of the tumour.
Scientists have discovered that certain groups of cells within tumours appear to multiply more rapidly. These cancer stem cells act as the driving force for the cancer and are more resistant to current treatments than the other cells that make up the rest of the tumour. Dr Steven Pollard and his team at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute are studying specific cells in brain tumours which they believe are stem cells. They hope to spot crucial genes that are responsible for the cancer-causing properties of these cells. In the future, it may be possible to develop treatments that block the activity of these genes.
The risk factors for childhood brain cancer are still mostly a mystery. But Professor Patricia McKinney and her team at the University of Leeds are researching the theory that exposure to certain infections may increase the risk. They are also trying to establish whether the immune system can help protect against childhood cancers, as adults with a history of allergic conditions may be less likely to develop brain cancer.
Professor Silvia Marino is leading a team at the University of London investigating a type of childhood brain cancer called medulloblastoma. They recently discovered a gene called Bmi1 which plays a crucial role in controlling the growth of the type of brain cell involved in medulloblastoma. They will investigate whether Bmi1 could be a possible target for the development of new anti-cancer drugs.
Diagnosis
The earlier a cancer is detected, the greater the chances of successful treatment. Doctors use various imaging techniques to create a detailed picture of a tumour without having to use surgery to see inside a patient.
Professor John Griffiths and his team at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute are developing new methods to diagnose and categorise brain cancers without the need for a brain biopsy. They are using a new technique, called MRS, that measures the chemical make-up of tumours.
And Samantha Mills at the University of Manchester is investigating the use of MRI specifically for brain cancer.
This research could pave the way for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer.
Improving treatment
Although surgery and radiotherapy can cure some patients, a brain tumour’s size and location can often mean that it is impossible to surgically remove all of it, or give the amount of radiotherapy needed to kill the tumour without harming the brain. It is also hard to develop drugs that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Currently, people with a form of brain cancer called low-grade glioma (LGG). are treated with radiotherapy, but this can cause side effects by damaging healthy brain tissue. Dr Jeremy Rees and his team at the Institute of Neurology in London are setting up a trial to investigate whether temozolomide can treat these patients more effectively than radiotherapy and with fewer side effects.
Recent research suggests that the most successful treatment for people with very advanced brain cancers called grade IV gliomasis a combination of temozolomide and radiotherapy. Professor Michael Brada and his team at The Institute of Cancer Research are setting up a trial to find out whether this could be used for people with less advanced forms of the disease.
Cancer Research UK is also funding a trial to compare temozolomide with a standard combination of three drugs known as PCV for patients with glioma that has come back after treatment. The trial is also comparing two different ways of giving temozolomide – either a high dose for a short length of time, or a lower dose over a longer period.
Professor David Walker at the University of Nottingham is leading the UK arm of a clinical trial aimed at improving the outlook for children with LGG. This is the most common form of childhood brain cancer. The trial is testing a variety of treatment regimes to discover the best way to treat patients depending on their age and tumour type.
The effect of current chemotherapy drugs on these tumours does not least very long and the cancer returns in about half of children who are treated. This trial aims to reduce this recurrence rate and improve the treatment of children with LGG in any part of the brain or spinal cord.
