Glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer, is aggressive and can recur. It has a survival rate of less than 18 months and a 10-year survival rate of 0.71%.
In this regard, two neurooncologists who received this year’s Brain Prize discovered that cancer cells hijack nerve cells in the brain in glioblastoma.
The discovery was made by Frank Winkler of Heidelberg University and Michel Monje of Stanford University.
The research has given rise to a new field called cancer neuroscience and has clarified how researchers and clinicians should study brain tumors and where to start treatment.
Winkler and Monje were awarded a cash prize of $1.4 million for their discovery, the world’s largest award for neuroscience research.
A neurosurgeon from the University of Sheffield said that the center of a brain tumor is relatively simple. As you get to the center of the tumor, the cells are growing so fast that they lose their ability to get enough oxygen. Some of these cells start to die, creating gray or black necrotic tissue.
But unexpectedly, this ‘rotten center’ is surrounded by healthy neurons that are protecting it.
