Brain tumor growth may be halted with breast cancer drug – Medical News Today

Share on PinterestNew research helps identify better treatments for specific types of brain tumors. Vera Lair/Stocksy

• Improved scientific techniques have given researchers greater insight into how the human genome works.
• By looking at the genome and epigenome of brain cancer tumors, researchers have now been able to predict outcomes for patients.
• This information could also be used to identify which treatments would be most useful to treat certain cancers.
• Based on the findings, the scientists tested the breast cancer drug abemaciclib in a small number of patients and found their symptoms improved and the tumor size reduced. Future clinical trials will hopefully validate these early findings.

Sequencing the genome of cancer tumours is often used to help identify the type of cancer a person has and the best treatment for it.

Although cancer genomics has been used for a few years now, scientists are still learning about the best way to use genomic information to grade and categorize cancers.

One area that has received little attention until now is the methylation status of the cancer genome around specific genes. Methylation refers to the presence or absence of a methyl group on a base molecule within a gene that can affect whether or not a gene is expressed. This control of genetic expression is referred to as epigenetics.

Levels of expression of certain genes can also be affected by copy number variants (CNVs). CNVs arise because some sections of DNA are repeated, and the number of repeats varies between individuals due to deletions or duplications of DNA.

This leaves some people with many copies of a particular DNA sequence, whilst others have far fewer. These variations between individuals can be normal and harmless — however, they can also underpin disease.

A type of brain cancer called meningioma is known for the diversity of CNVs that occur between the genomes of different tumors. CNVs can also affect methylation, which further affects gene expression.

In a study by researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, the scientists decided to look at both the level of methylation in the meningioma genomes and the number of repeats in different CNVs. They included certain genes in the cancer genome known to control growth and repair to see if this provided any insight into outcomes.

The findings are published in the journal <hl-trusted-source source="Nature" rationale="Highly respected journal,Expert written …….

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/breast-cancer-drug-may-halt-brain-tumor-growth