Brain cancer

A newly developed, highly sensitive biosensor likened to a “deep surveillance” system has hinted at more accurate ways to diagnose brain cancer, with an ability to detect and pinpoint the location of tumors from less than a drop of blood.

Researchers at UNC have discovered that a common lab molecule, used to label DNA, can trigger a runaway process that eventually leads to cell death. But the team says this could have a positive use too, as a potential cancer treatment.

Glioblastoma is one of the most deadly forms of cancer, often returning with a vengeance after it's removed. A newly developed immunity-boosting hydrogel could be injected into the brain after surgery to clear out remaining cancer stem cells.

Scientists have developed a new light-activated “photoimmunotherapy” that could help treat brain cancer. The key is a compound that glows under light to guide surgeons to the tumor, while near-infrared light activates a cancer-killing mechanism.

The blood-brain barrier keeps your brain safe from toxins, but frustratingly it also keeps important drugs out. MIT researchers have now demonstrated an accurate new model of how this barrier works, which should enable new brain cancer treatments.

Scientists adapting stem cell therapies for difficult-to-treat tumors have developed a highly efficient off-the-shelf approach that showed "profound efficacy" in mouse models of aggressive brain cancer, laying the groundwork for clinical trials.

A first-of-its-kind study has investigated the link between certain cancers and people living in close proximity to wildfires. The findings revealed higher rates of brain tumors and lung cancer in populations living within 50 km (31 miles) of a wildfire.

Analysis of an ongoing project that has been tracking the health of nearly one million women in the UK for more than 20 years has found no association between increased risk of brain tumors and cell phone use.

Glioblastoma is a brain cancer that can be aggressive and, unfortunately, tricky to diagnose without a biopsy. But a new noninvasive method, tested in mice and pigs, could one day diagnose the disease with ultrasound pulses and a basic blood test.

In a development likened to targeting the roots rather than cutting the weeds, scientists have identified proteins that may help unravel low-lying but dangerous cancer stem cells, which could translate to new treatments for aggressive brain tumors.

In the wide-ranging search for new weapons against cancer, some see great potential in the idea of a urine test that can reveal telltale signs of the disease. So where does the technology stand right now?

Scientists in the UK have identified a promising new possibility in brain cancer diagnostics, demonstrating a first-of-a-kind test that can detect tiny DNA mutations shed by dying tumor cells in bodily fluids such as blood and urine.