Scientists find that brain cancer is linked to tissue healing

The healing process that follows a brain injury could spur tumour growth when new cells generated to replace those lost to the injury are derailed by mutations, Toronto scientists have found.

A brain injury can be anything from trauma to infection or stroke.

"Our data suggest that the right mutational change in particular cells in the brain could be modified by injury to give rise to a tumour," said Dr. Peter Dirks, Dream Team leader who is the Head of the Division of Neurosurgery and a Senior Scientist in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at SickKids.

The findings could lead to new therapy for glioblastoma patients who currently have limited treatment options with an average lifespan of 15 months after diagnosis.

Study suggests that some glioblastoma start to form when the normal tissue healing process, which generates new cells to replace those lost to injury, gets derailed by mutations, possibly even many years before patients become symptomatic.