Our impact in brain tumours

Sian PriestleyThanks to the generosity of our supporters, Cancer Research UK is a major funder of brain tumour research in the UK.

We work together with partners such as the Seve Ballasteros Foundation and the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust to push forward research into brain tumours and other cancers of the nervous system.

There are many different types of tumour that affect the brain and central nervous system. And the chances of surviving each are different. 

For children, brain tumour survival rates have almost doubled since the late 1960s. This includes children like Sian Priestley (right), who received a Cancer Research UK Little Star Award after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002. But less progress has been made in adults – a situation that urgently needs to change.

Here are just some of the ways our work has made a difference so far.

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Temozolomide and other treatments

Perhaps our greatest achievement in brain tumour research is the development of temozolomide (Temodal). Our scientists and doctors used innovative chemistry to develop the drug at the University of Aston in Birmingham, and it was first tested in clinical trials at the Charing Cross Hospital in London.

Temozolomide was the first drug to be taken all the way from the laboratory bench to the bedside by Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office. It is now used to treat thousands of people all over the world affected by high grade glioma – an aggressive type of brain tumour.

The man behind temozolomide is Professor Malcolm Stevens. In this short video, he tells the story of the ‘birth’ of the drug at Aston University in the 1970s and 80s:

Link to transcript

Find out more about the story of temozolomide.

Our scientists continue to hunt for more effective treatments for brain tumours. They recently completed an early-stage clinical trial of a new drug called PaTrin2, which was also developed by our researchers. The drug may prove promising for treating brain tumours and other cancers in the future. 

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Hunting for faulty genes

Scientists funded by Cancer Research UK have made great strides in revealing some of the faulty genes linked to certain types of brain tumours, including meningioma1 ependymoma2 and pilocytic astrocytoma3. These discoveries are paving the way for future treatments4.

We also helped to fund a major international study tracking down five gene variations that can increase the risk of glioma.5 

Understanding the gene faults that lie at the heart of brain tumours is the key to finding more effective ways to tackle these complex diseases in the future.

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Making a difference for children with brain tumours

Our research has helped to change the outlook for many children with brain tumours.

Our scientists in Newcastle discovered a test that can help doctors identify children who need more intensive treatment for medulloblastoma6, the most common type of childhood brain tumour.  We also funded a clinical trial showing that adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy can help improve survival from this type of cancer.7

A clinical trial we funded together with the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust showed that using chemotherapy to delay or avoid radiotherapy in children under three with ependymoma reduces the risk of health problems later in life.8

Through our support of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, we funded vital work that is helping to shape the way that children with brain tumours are treated.9 Today, we continue to support groundbreaking clinical trials of new treatments for childhood brain tumours, through the Cancer Research UK Children’s Cancer Trials Team.

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References:

  1. Bethke L et al (2008) Comprehensive analysis of DNA repair gene variants and risk of meningioma. J Natl Cancer Inst. 100:270-6. 
  2. Rand V et al (2008) Investigation of chromosome 1q reveals differential expression of members of the S100 family in clinical subgroups of intracranial paediatric ependymoma. Br J Cancer 99:1136-43  
  3. Jones DT et al (2008) Tandem duplication producing a novel oncogenic BRAF fusion gene defines the majority of pilocytic astrocytomas. Cancer Res. 68:8673-7  
  4. Forshew et al (2009) Activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway: a signature genetic defect in posterior fossa pilocytic astrocytomas. J Pathol. 218:172-81  
  5. Shete, S. et al (2009). Genome-wide association study identifies five susceptibility loci for glioma Nature Genetics 41: 899 - 904
  6. Ellison DW et al (2005) Beta-catenin status predicts a favourable outcome in childhood medulloblastoma. J Clin Oncol. 23:7951-7
  7. Taylor RE et al (2003)Results of a randomized study of preradiation chemotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for nonmetastatic medulloblastoma: The International Society of Paediatric Oncology/United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group PNET-3 Study. J Clin Oncol. 21:1581-91.
  8. Grundy et al (2007) A prospective trial of primary post-operative chemotherapy without radiotherapy for intracranial ependymoma in children under 3 years of age - a UKCCSG/SIOP study. Lancet Oncology 8:696-705
  9. Grundy RG et al (2010) Primary postoperative chemotherapy without radiotherapy for treatment of brain tumours other than ependymoma in children under 3 years: results of the first UKCCSG/SIOP CNS 9204 trial. Eur J Cancer. 2010 Jan;46(1):120-33.