Reverting the molecular fingerprint of tumor dormancy as a therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma

What is it about?

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain cancer. Despite all the treatments offered by modern medicine, 97% of patients die within 14 months of diagnosis, including many who die within a few months. However, the remaining 3 percent of those diagnosed may survive three years or more. In this study we demonstrate that a seven-gene genomic pattern, which was identified using glioblastoma mouse models, can predict a significant prolongation in the survival of glioblastoma patients. Balancing two of these seven genes, by bringing a tumor suppressor to a normal level through increasing its expression or by reducing the high expression of an oncogene, significantly prolongs the survival of glioblastoma-bearing mice. We show here that affecting a single gene from the genomic pattern is insufficient to obtain a marked inhibition of tumor growth and that only by modulating the expression level of several genes, a significant therapeutic outcome is achieved. In the future, this study may serve as a basis for the development of an effective cocktail of drugs for this deadly disease and other cancers.

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