Researchers: Thinking Causes Some Brain Cancers To Grow Faster

Researchers have discovered something a bit terrifying: the mere act of thinking causes some cancerous brain tumors to grow faster, with a paper detailing the phenomenon pointing specifically to high-grade gliomas. These tumors are said to account for 80-percent or so of the malignant brain tumors found in humans, and they are often very difficult to treat. Discovering the role brain activity plays in fueling their growth, however, will aid in the development of future treatments and a potential cure.

The aforementioned type of tumor is, according to Stanford researcher Michelle Monje, "utilizing the core functions of the brain, thinking, to promote its own growth." The brain cancer DIPG, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, is said to affect approximately 200 kids every year, something that fueled the pursuit for treatments. Monje thought that the cancer was perhaps using myelination, the creation of insulation around nerve fibers, to grow itself.

Chemical signals that lead to myelination were aiding the growth of glioma cells, it was found. Said the researcher, "That was an intriguing finding and it was consistent with our idea that activity in the brain, thinking, planning, using your brain, might be promoting the cancer arising within it."

Even worse, it was found that other gliomas also grow faster if they're located by active nerve cells. Tumors in both adults and kids react in this way. Using sedation or other methods to reduce brain activity could slow the growth of the tumors, then, though that isn't considered an adequate treatment for obvious reasons. The knowledge, however, will lead to alternative treatments in the future.

SOURCE: NPR