Expand your understanding of brain tumor biology and unleash new treatment options
Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center have made new discoveries that provide a deeper understanding of the most common but under-studied types of brain tumors, opening up new treatment routes for patients.
Studies conducted by Dr. Gerareh Zadeh’s lab, senior scientist at the Macfeeters-Hamilton Neuro-Oncology Program, provide broad insight into the biology of meningiomas. Brain tumor. Meningiomas are the most common brain tumors, but they are very well studied. In fact, knowledge of meningiomas and their current three-stage classification (known as World Health Organization grade) has remained largely unchanged for 30 years.
Treatment options have been primarily limited to surgery and some uses of radiation therapy. New findings from the PM team indicate that there are actually four different subtypes of meningiomas, based on the integrated and epigenome characteristics of the tumor.
This study identified unique tumor features that lead to other viable medical treatments. Treatment options for the first time, based on the biological drivers of these tumors.
“This is a real change in our understanding of meningiomas,” says Dr. Zade. “For years, patients often had to undergo multiple surgeries and radiation therapy with very limited sustained effects.
“Careful treatment options change the patient’s situation.”
Dr. Zadeh, Medical Director of UHN’s Krembil Brain Institute, Head of Neurosurgery at UHN, and Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, is the senior author of the study. Nature August 25th. Dr. Farshad Nassiri, a graduate student in Banier, Canada and chief of neurosurgery in Toronto, is the first author of this study.
“The first classification we discovered gives us insight into the biology of a wide range of meningiomas,” says Dr. Nasiri. “Previously, no one really knew how these tumors would become invasive.
“Biology is very closely related to treatment sensitivity and personalized medicine, which, for the first time, provides a more tailored treatment, as opposed to a comprehensive type of treatment for patients. Can be seen in. “
Dr. Zade says her team has taken the findings of the new tumor classification and, with the help of Princess Margaret’s senior scientist, moved them towards clinically usable tests. Thomas Kislinger, Daniel de Carvalho, Gary Bader, and Dr. Ken Aldape of the National Cancer Institute.
“we, Meningioma It expresses highly specific proteins and has shown that these proteins can be assayed using conventional techniques already available at the Institute of Neuropathology, “said the Dan Family Chair of Neurosurgery and Neurology. Dr. Zade, who holds both Wilkins Family Chairs for Brain Tumor Research, said. This means that this classification is readily available at almost every cancer center in the world. “
The group also discovered for the first time new evidence-based treatment options for meningiomas.
“We have found that a group of the most aggressive meningiomas, called proliferative meningiomas, can be treated with drugs already approved by the FDA for other cancers,” said Dr. Nassiri. increase.
Dr. Nasiri says the study was made possible by the power of the meningioma consortium led by him and Dr. Zade, as well as UHN’s vast brain tumor biobank of over 5,000 brain tumor samples with matching clinical data. ..
“This is where Princess Margaret really stands out. We have this valuable resource for this very poorly studied rare disease,” he says.
“This study truly reflects the strength of Princess Margaret and the UHN environment, and can combine talent and expertise,” said Dr. Zade.
The second co-author of the Zadeh Lab, Dr. Jeff Lui, Vikas Patil, and Mamatjan Yasin, are Dr. We worked closely with Nassiri and Zadeh to create these genomic datasets. This series of work serves as a valuable resource and is built by the scientific community using current discoveries.
“By creating a tool similar to the Cancer Genome Atlas for meningiomas, we can place us on a map of brain tumor detection,” says Dr. Nasiri.