Researchers at the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and KU Leuven say they have slowed the spread of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults, by blocking specific signals between the brain’s immune cells and tumour cells.
The finding points to a potential new treatment strategy, according to the VIB, which announced the results on Wednesday.
Glioblastoma is notoriously difficult to treat and patients survive for an average of 15 months after diagnosis. The tumour’s cells spread into surrounding brain tissue, making it hard to remove the cancer completely through surgery.
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Because more complete tumour removal is linked to better survival prospects, the researchers set out to find a way to limit how far glioblastoma spreads. Their aim was to make the tumour more clearly defined before surgery and, in turn, help extend patients’ lives.
“We were able to interrupt the signals, making the tumours less invasive and better defined,” said Dr Carla Pallarés-Moratalla, the first author of the study. “Because this approach limits the spread of the tumour but does not shrink the tumour itself, it could be combined with treatments that do reduce tumour size.”
The research team, led by Professor Gabriele Bergers, examined how tumour cells interact with microglia, the brain’s immune cells. Using mice and tissue from patients with glioblastoma, the researchers found that tumour cells use lipids released by microglia. These substances make the tumour cells more mobile and help them invade healthy areas of the brain.
The scientists then investigated whether blocking that interaction could make the tumour less invasive.
The study was published in the scientific journal Cancer Cell. The authors said the findings are still at an early stage, but added that they open the door to a new way of treating the disease.
