Edinburgh project aims to find new ways to tackle devastating disease
Stopping cancer cells spreading and hiding in the brain is the focus of a new research project at the University of Edinburgh.
Cancer Research UK is funding the bid to find a way of detecting and preventing glioblastoma cells before they can spread throughout the brain.
Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly adult brain cancer and recurs in around 90 per cent of patients after surgery. It is one of the most difficult cancers to treat due to its location in sensitive areas of the brain.
Surgery is risky, particularly once the cancer begins to spread as the cancer cells are scattered and hidden deep in the brain. This spread of glioblastoma cells in the brain is the main reason the cancer returns after surgery.
However, if these cancerous cells could be targeted by treatments, then outcomes for patients could be improved.
The research team at the Institute for Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh will focus on discovering the mechanics of how the cancerous cells are able to move and escape surgery.
Study lead Dr Alex Loftus, of the Institute for Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh and Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, said:
“Glioblastoma is a cancer where new treatments are desperately needed. Until now, the way glioblastoma cells invade the brain and move around it have not been fully understood.
“Our research will focus on the mechanics of how glioblastoma cells relocate throughout the brain so we can spot the beginnings of movement and stop them in their tracks.”
The team has been awarded £14,656 from Cancer Research UK for the project which will focus on proteins called cell-matrix adhesion proteins which coordinate communication between cells and the environments they live in.
The researchers hope to find new targets for treatment which could be used around the time of initial surgery to ensure fewer cancer cells escape surgery and reduce recurrence rates.
Around 12,500 people are diagnosed with a brain, central nervous system or intracranial tumour in the UK each year* including around 1,100 in Scotland.** With only around 1 in 4 people in the UK surviving their disease for 5 years or more, finding new ways to tackle this type of cancer crucial.***
Cancer Research UK’s Director of Research, Dr Catherine Elliott, said: “Glioblastoma is a devastating cancer which affects thousands of people across the UK and sadly there are limited treatment options especially when the cancer returns after initial successful treatment.
“Cancer Research UK is determined to continue to find new ways to tackle glioblastoma which are so desperately needed to improve outcomes for patients.”
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