Brain Tumors Fly Under the Body’s Radar Like Stealth Jets

New research published in the journal Cancer Research found that brain tumors fly under the radar of the body’s defense forces by coating their cells with extra amounts of a specific protein. Like a stealth fighter jet, the coating allows the cells to evade detection by the early-warning immune system, which would normally detect and kill them. The stealth approach lets the tumors hide until it’s too late for the body to defeat them. The findings of the mouse-model study show the key role of a protein called galectin-1, found in some of the most dangerous brain tumors — high grade gliomas. Although the new discovery opens the door to new treatment approaches, much more work is needed before the mouse-based approach can help human patients. To read more about this study, click here.