New Research Shows Tumors Hijack the Brain’s Blood Supply

In a recent study published in the journal Neoplasia, researchers from University of Michigan found that brain tumors hijack the brain’s existing blood supply throughout their progression, and grow only within narrow potential spaces between and along the brain’s thousands of small blood vessels. The findings contradict the concept that brain tumors need to grow their own blood vessels to keep themselves growing. The findings also help explain why drugs that aim to stop growth of new blood vessels in order to extend the lives of patients have failed in clinical trials. The results of the study showed that tumor cells grow exclusively within the spaces around the blood vessels, close enough to draw their own energy and fuel growth in the same way normal brain tissue does. This “autovascular” growth, was detected by researchers from the very beginning to the final stages of tumor progression. To read more about this study, click here.