Is it possible to stop brain tumor growth by attacking a common virus?
Those deadly brain tumors known as glioblastomas are particularly difficult to treat with surgery because their position deep in the brain carry a significant risk of brain damage.
Since Sen. Ted Kennedy was recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor of this type, many neurologists and specialists have commented that his prognosis is grim due to currently available treatments. Generally these fast growing tumors result in death in less than 15 months.
But researchers may have found another way to treat these tumors by going after a virus that is found in these cancers.
Using the body’s immune system
Ideally, the most effective way to cure cancer is to allow the body’s own immune system to attack and kill the cancer cells because the process doesn’t harm nearby healthy cells.
Until recently it’s been impossible for the human immune system to distinguish brain tumor cells from healthy cells because they often have the same identifying marker proteins which are called antigens, and because brain tumors often suppress immune function.
However in a new study, oncologist Duane Mitchell at Duke University Medical Center and his colleagues show the presence of cytomegalovirus, a type of herpesvirus, in glioblastoma cells but they are not in surrounding healthy tissue.
Most people have this virus
Most people are actually infected with cytomegalovirus but it’s a latent virus in healthy people. Those viruses multiply in people with compromised immune systems.
The Duke researchers experimented with guiding the immune system to attack the unique antigens of the virus in glioblastoma cells.
The team took white blood cells from patients, exposed them to parts of the virus, and injected the cells back into the patients. Their preliminary results suggest that this technique is safe and effective.
“Because the immune system kills both the virus and the cell it resides in, we are hoping that we will be able use this vaccine to kill the tumor cells that standard therapy can’t reach,” explains Mitchell.
A positive sign
The progression of tumors in the Duke patients were delayed by more than a year on average and some patients had no sign of tumor growth after two years. While the results are preliminary, they are a positive sign that effective treatment may be available in the near future.
Avastin is promising too.
There was an interesting article in the New York Times recently about Avastin. This drug is already widely used to treat other types of cancer, now looks promising as a treatment for brain cancer.
I would love to here from you as my husband has a brain tumor and has not recieved regular treatment other than resection 2 years ago. We have done all natural approaches and i am very curious about this virus and injections Thanks michelle
Thank you for your comment.
I think the cytomegalovirus theory that the people at Duke are working on is very interesting and may result in a promising therapy. Here’s another article about their studies.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=does-herpes-cause-brain-cancer
However I haven’t come across any brain tumor centers that are offering treatment at this point because it’s too early in the research process.
Best thing to do is to see if the Duke University Medical Center has made more progress with it’s current patient research because they said treatment may be available in the near future.