Bad cholesterol feeds brain tumours
September 16th, 2011 - 4:43 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Sep 16 (IANS) Bad cholesterol fuels the growth of the commonest type of brain cancer, glioblastoma, just as hormones drive the growth of certain breast and prostate cancers.
Glioblastomas are also the most aggressive and difficult to treat, with an average survival rate of 15 months from diagnosis.
US scientists say the finding will pave the way for developing drugs that will target them specifically. They found that up to 90 percent of glioblastomas have a “hyperactive signalling pathway” for cholesterol, reports the journal Cancer Discovery.
This implies their cells are programmed to suck up LDL or bad cholesterol, which feeds tumour growth in turn, the Telegraph reports.
Deliang Guo, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Ohio State University who led the study, said: “Our research shows that the tumour cells depend on large amounts of cholesterol for growth and survival.”
“Pharmacologically depriving tumour cells of cholesterol may offer a novel therapeutic strategy to treat glioblastoma,” added Guo.
Paul Mischel, professor of pathology at the Jonsson Cancer Center, University of California-Los Angeles, added: “It potentially offers a strategy for blocking that mechanism and causing specific tumour-cell death without significant toxicity.”
In Britain, of about 5,000 people diagnosed with brain cancer, 3,600 die annually.
-Indo-Asian News Service
st/pg/vt
- Herbal remedy beats brain cancer - Jul 13, 2011
- Vitamin C hastens brain tumour's death - Feb 20, 2012
- New procedure busts deadly brain tumour cells - Feb 06, 2012
- Potential therapeutic target for brain cancer identified - Feb 23, 2010
- Cholesterol shows promise in fighting cancer - Apr 23, 2012
- Novel tumour-attacking virus may offer brain cancer treatment - Dec 02, 2009
- Molecule able to fight brain cancer found - Apr 22, 2011
- Experimental lung cancer drug may help treat brain, prostate cancer - Jan 04, 2010
- Protein that could treat aggressive brain tumour identified - Dec 23, 2009
- Genes that drive aggressive brain cancers identified - Dec 24, 2009
- Most common adult brain cancer associated with gene deletion - Dec 23, 2010
- Promising experimental drug against brain, prostate cancers - Jan 04, 2010
- New cell therapy shows promise against atherosclerosis - Mar 02, 2011
- Deadly brain tumour's strength may be a weakness as well - Aug 15, 2010
- Vaccine extends life of brain cancer patients - Apr 19, 2012
Tags: 15 months, asian news, assistant professor, bad cholesterol, brain cancer, brain tumours, california los angeles, cell death, jonsson cancer center, journal cancer, mischel, ohio state university, prostate cancers, radiation oncology, survival rate, telegraph reports, therapeutic strategy, tumour cell, tumour cells, university of california los angeles