The most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), has 4 distinct molecular subtypes, according to a new study. The finding may lead to more personalized approaches to treating GBM patients.

MRI showing a mass in the brain that was diagnosed as glioblastoma. Image by Christaras A, courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

GBM is a fast-growing type of tumor. In recent years, 3 of every 100,000 Americans have been diagnosed with GBM—the highest incidence rate among malignant brain tumors. Most patients die of the disease within 14 months of diagnosis.

Like most cancers, GBM is believed to arise from changes that accumulate in cells’ DNA over the course of a person’s life. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network, launched in 2006, is a comprehensive and coordinated effort to explore the genomic changes involved in human cancer. It consists of more than 150 researchers at dozens of institutions across the nation. The network is funded by NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

TCGA scientists previously published a detailed view of GBM genomic changes. In the new study, they built on those findings and determined that GBM appears to have 4 distinct molecular subtypes. As reported on January 19, 2010, in Cancer Cell, the scientists associated 2 previously identified subtypes with specific genetic changes and identified 2 additional subtypes. The researchers also found that response to aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy differed by subtype.

The evidence suggests that the different GBM subtypes arise from different kinds of cells. This finding has potential clinical significance, since determining the types of cells that form GBM is critical for establishing effective treatments.

“The ability to differentiate GBM tumors based on their altered genetic code lays the groundwork for more effective treatment strategies to combat this deadly cancer,” says NHGRI director Dr. Eric D. Green. “These findings demonstrate the power of using a cancer’s genome to unravel the molecular changes that occur in the various cancer types.”

“These new findings offer critical insights into stratifying patients based on the unique molecular characteristics of their disease,” says NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber. “As we learn more and more about the genetic underpinnings of cancer, we hope to achieve a similar level of molecular understanding for all cancers and eventually to generate recipes of highly targeted therapies uniquely suited to the individual patient.”

• Insights into Common Brain Cancer:
  http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/september2008/09152008cancer.htm
• Adult Brain Tumors:
  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/adultbrain/Patient
• The Cancer Genome Atlas:
  http://cancergenome.nih.gov

Source: http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/february2010/02012010braincancer.htm

Related posts:

1. Medicare Card, Scientists Identify Markers, Human Breast Cancer Cells, Linked to Development of an Aggressive, But Less Common Form of Breast Cancer Scientists have identified a group of surface markers on cells linked to an aggressive type of breast cancer called estrogen receptor-negative cancer. In this preliminary study, estrogen-negative breast cancer developed when three markers, CD44+, CD49fhi, and CD133hi were present simultaneously on the surface of human cells taken from breast cancer patients and transplanted into a [...]...
2. Researchers Identify Gene Mutations Underlying Risk for Most Common Form of Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson's disease, which affects about 1.5 million Americans, is a progressive neurologic disorder caused by the degeneration of nerve cells in the portion of the brain that controls movement....
3. Medicare, Deep Brain Stimulation, Two Different Targets, Produces Similar Motor Improvements in Parkinson’s Disease In a major study, investigators have compared how individuals with Parkinson’s disease respond to deep brain stimulation (DBS) at two different sites in the brain. Contrary to current belief, patients who received DBS at either site in the brain experienced comparable benefits for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s....
4. Medicare Future? Pathways that Can Repair Brca1 Cancer Gene Mutation Clarified in Mice In a new study in mice, scientists have compensated for mutations in the Brca1 gene that can lead to cancer by deleting a second gene, which then lessens the probability of cancer. Mice Brca1-associated mammary tumors have significant similarities to human BRCA1- associated (BReast CAncer 1, early onset) breast cancer in regard to tumor aggressiveness, high incidence, mutations and genetic instability. The study, led by scientists at National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues, appeared online April 1, 2010 and in print April 16, 2010, in the journal Cell....
5. The Cancer Genome Atlas completes detailed ovarian cancer analysis An analysis of genomic changes in ovarian cancer has provided the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genes for any cancer type to date. Ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients were examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network and analyses are reported in the June 30, 2011, issue of Nature. MedicareCard.com [...]...
6. Vitamin D Status is Not Associated with Risk for Less Common Cancers Despite hopes that higher blood levels of vitamin D might reduce cancer risk, a large study finds no protective effect against non-Hodgkin lymphoma or cancer of the endometrium, esophagus, stomach, kidney, ovary, or pancreas. In this study, carried out by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and [...]...
7. Medicare Health Checkups – Comparing Models that Assess Breast Cancer Risk A new study found that models for assessing breast cancer risk perform only slightly better when they include common inherited genetic variants recently linked to the disease. For now, recommendations for breast cancer screening or treatments that are based on such models will remain unchanged for most women....
8. Medicare, Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health....
9. Medicare – Targeting the Blood-Brain Barrier, May Delay Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease Researchers may be one step closer to slowing the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. An animal study supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), ...
10. Medicare, Medicare Card, Statement by HHS, NIH Director Regarding the President’s Intent, Appoint Dr. Harold Varmus as Director of the National Institute of Cancer at the National Institutes of Health Dr. Harold Varmus brings a vast wealth of expertise to this key leadership position at the Department. Among his many professional distinctions, he is a Nobel laureate in cancer genetics; has been president of one of the premier cancer research and treatment institutions for the past decade; and previously has served the public as NIH [...]...
11. Medicare – From Neurons to Thought: Coherent Electrical Patterns Observed Across the Brain Amidst the background hum of electrical signaling generated by neurons in the brain, scientists have found that local groups of neurons, firing in coordination, sometimes create a signal that is mirrored instantaneously and precisely by other groups of neurons across the brain....
12. Medicare Card Coverage – Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. ...
13. Researchers extend use of gene therapy to treat a soft tissue tumor Researchers extend use of gene therapy to treat a soft tissue tumor...
14. Medicare Card News: NIH Researchers Explore How Healthy, Young Adults View the Role Genetics Plays in Improving Health Most healthy young adults place greater emphasis on health habits than on genetic risk factors when considering what causes common diseases, a research team from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit has found. The study, based on a survey of 25- to-45-year-olds, was released June 8, [...]...
15. Medicare Information Psychopathic Traits Linked to Brain Reward System People who scored high on a test that measures impulsive and antisocial traits had exaggerated brain responses to certain “rewards,” like winning money or taking stimulant drugs. The new study provides evidence that a dysfunctional brain reward system may underlie vulnerability to a personality disorder known as psychopathy. ...