New Hope in Treating Brain Cancer in Children

On April 6, in a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, scientists said they had discovered a mutation in the ACVR1 gene, which is believed to be one of the causes of DIPG - a type of brain cancer in children.

DIPG is a particularly dangerous form of brain cancer in children and there is currently no treatment because the disease develops in the stem cells of the brain, so surgery cannot be performed to remove the tumors.

According to scientists, ACVR1 gene mutations account for 20-33% of DIPG tumors. This is the first time ACVR1 gene mutations have been detected in cancer.

Previously, another mutation of the ACVR1 gene was also discovered in "stone man" syndrome - a phenomenon in which connective tissues are thoroughly sclerotic, causing bone formation in muscles, connective tissues, tendons and skin.

Scientists from the Gustave Roussy Research Institute (Paris, France) affirmed that the above research results help scientists better understand the development mechanism of DIPG, especially the conditions of disease development in the early stages; thereby, researching treatment drugs to inhibit the development of cancer cells./.

According to VNA