Study Shows Why Some Brain Cancers Resist Treatment

New research conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may reveal how brain cancers are able to survive treatment methods on a genetic level. The study reveals research on Akt3, a kinase protein that regulates cell signaling and is linked to DNA repair within the cellular structures of tumors — which may be responsible for treatment resistance in common forms of brain cancer. Present in glioblastomas, this study clarifies the compound’s exact role in the disease. “This activation led to enhanced survival of brain tumor cells following radiation or treatment with temozolomide,” said the author of the study. “Our work has potentially broad application to multiple cancer types in which Akt3 is expressed. Blocking this pathway may help prevent or alleviate therapeutic resistance resulting from enhanced DNA repair.” Future research will attempt to control this protein, and hopefully combine targeted blocking with conventional cancer treatments, in order to improve overall success rates. To learn more about this study, click here.