Chang Gung team develops new brain cancer treatment

Wei Kuo-chen of Chang Hung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch said that the blood-brain barrier makes it difficult for drugs to enter the brain. The special barrier separates the brain from the circulatory system, protecting it from infection but also limiting the entry of most medication, said Wei, the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.

Led by Wei, the medical team has been testing the proposed non-invasive technique on mice with brain tumors. They focus ultrasonic waves to disrupt the blood-brain barrier before inserting drug-laced magnetic nano-particles into the brain, where they are led to tumor regions using powerful magnets.

Results show that the amount of drug concentration in the tumor area has increased 20 percent, with mice undergoing the experiment living 1.66 times longer than untreated mice.

Though malignant brain tumors occur in only 2-3 per 100,000 people, it is often not detected until an advanced stage, when the patient is often left with about a year to live.

Malignant tumor cells can be surgically removed, but usually chemotherapy is required to kill cancer cells left behind.

The team said that it will continue research on the technique, with the goal of eventually using it on humans.

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