There is always research going on in the area of brain and spinal cord tumors. Scientists are looking for causes and ways to prevent these tumors, and doctors are working to improve treatments.

Imaging and surgery techniques

Recent advances have made surgery for brain tumors much safer and more successful. One such technique is fluorescence-guided surgery. Using fluorescent dyes taken up only by the tumor that glow under special lighting from the operating microscope allows the surgeon to more successfully separate tumor from normal brain.

Radiotherapy

Several newer types of radiation therapy now allow doctors to deliver radiation more precisely to the tumor, which helps spare normal brain tissue from getting too much radiation. Newer techniques such as stereotactic radiosurgery, 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and proton beam therapy are described in the section "How are brain and spinal cord tumors in adults treated?"

Newer methods of treatment planning are also being studied. For example, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) uses a CT scan done just before treatment to better guide the radiation to its target.

Chemotherapy

Newer approaches may help make chemotherapy more effective.

In addition to developing and testing new chemotherapy drugs, many researchers are testing new ways to target chemotherapy to the brain tumor.

Many chemotherapy drugs are limited in their effectiveness because the tightly controlled openings in the brain capillaries, sometimes referred to as the blood-brain barrier, prevents them from getting from the bloodstream to the brain. Researchers are now trying to modify some of these drugs by coating them with tiny layers of fat (liposomes) or attaching them to molecules that normally cross the blood-brain barrier, to help them work better. This is an area of active research and clinical trials.

For another newer method called convection enhanced delivery, tiny tubes are placed directly into the tumor. This allows treatment delivery right to the tumor, which may avoid problems with the blood brain barrier and side effects in the rest of the body.

Other new treatment strategies

Researchers are also testing some newer approaches to treatment that may help doctors target tumors more precisely. In theory this should allow for more effective treatments that cause fewer side effects. Several of these treatments are under study at this time.

Tumor vaccines: Several vaccines have been developed against brain tumor cells. Unlike vaccines against infectious diseases, these vaccines are meant to help treat the disease instead of prevent it. The goal of the vaccines is to stimulate the body's immune system to attack the brain tumor. At this time, these vaccines are available only through clinical trials.

Angiogenesis inhibitors: Tumors need to create new blood vessels (a process called angiogenesis) to keep their cells nourished. New drugs that attack these blood vessels are used to help treat some cancers. One of these drugs, bevacizumab (Avastin), has been approved by the FDA for use in recurrent glioblastomas. Other agents that impair blood vessel growth by other methods, such as sunitinib (Sutent) and sorafenib (Nexavar), are being studied and are available through clinical trials.

Growth factor inhibitors: Tumor cells are often very sensitive to proteins called growth factors, which cause them to grow and divide. Newer drugs target these growth factors, which may slow the growth of tumor cells or even cause them to die. Several of these targeted drugs are already used for other types of cancer, and some are being studied to see if they will work for brain tumors as well.

Hypoxic cell sensitizers: Some drugs increase the oxygen content in tumors, which may make tumor cells more likely to be killed by radiation therapy if they are given before treatment. Studies are under way to see if these types of drugs can improve the outcome of treatment.

Last Medical Review: 11/12/2009
Last Revised: 11/12/2009