[News Terms] Seeking Treatment Methods for 'Gyomosebocheung'

'Glioblastoma' is a tumor that arises from neuroglial cells, which are abundantly present in brain tissue. Neurogliomas account for about 12-15% of all brain tumors, of which glioblastomas make up about 5%. The incidence rate of glioblastoma is approximately 3 to 4 cases per 100,000 people annually. Despite receiving standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, the average survival rate is less than 2 years, making it a malignant brain cancer with a poor prognosis.

Neuroglial cells support the tissues of the central nervous system. They are located between blood vessels and nerve cells, involved in the metabolism of nerve cells, and proliferate to aid cell recovery when injury or inflammation occurs. The medical community suspects causes such as genetic damage from viral infections, radiation, exposure to carcinogens, immune deficiency, and hereditary syndromes like neurofibromatosis.

Cross-section of the human brain. [Photo by Pixabay]

Unlike other tumors, glioblastomas spread densely between cells and tissues and have rapid growth and metastasis rates. Symptoms include severe headaches due to increased intracranial pressure, nausea, vomiting, seizures, memory loss, changes in behavior, sensory impairment, facial paralysis, speech disorders, and cognitive decline.

On the 3rd, Professor Adam Sonabend's team at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in the United States announced in the medical journal 'Lancet Oncology' that they succeeded in temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of glioblastoma patients using an ultrasound device, enabling the delivery of chemotherapy drugs into the brain.

In this Phase 1 clinical trial, the research team was able to increase the drug concentration in the brain by 4 to 6 times with a 4-minute procedure, which they explained was the first time chemotherapy drugs were stably delivered into the brains of glioblastoma patients.

The biggest obstacle in glioblastoma treatment is that potent chemotherapy drugs cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain tumor. The blood-brain barrier is a microstructure that protects the brain from drugs or harmful substances in the blood.

The research team succeeded in opening the blood-brain barrier using a cranial implant ultrasound device and microbubbles, and repeatedly delivering chemotherapy drugs, which had been administered intravenously, to critical areas of the brain.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.