VIDEO: Role of non-neoplastic brain cells on brain tumor progression

In this video from the Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association, David Gutmann, MD, PhD, FAAN, discusses the plenary session he co-chaired with Steven Small, MD, PhD, on microenvironment control of brain tumor pathogenesis.

The session focused on the way that non-neoplastic cells in the brain, such as neurons, microglia and T cells, control brain tumor formation and progression, as well as metastases of other cancers to the brain. Gutmann, who is the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor, vice chair for research affairs in neurology and director of the Washington University neurofibromatosis center, discussed presentations from the session, including “absolutely groundbreaking data” that demonstrated that cancer cells form synapses with neurons in the brain, which dictate how the tumors behave.

“The tumor becomes part of the normal neural network,” he told Healio Neurology.

Another presentation provided “exciting data” about the metastases of cells from breast and other cancers to the brain, according to Gutmann. A subpopulation of these metastatic cells resides in cerebrospinal fluid, which is controlled by iron levels. The presentation showed that, by controlling iron levels artificially, “you can actually control the growth of these metastatic cells.”

The presentations in this session demonstrated that intrinsic physical properties of cancer cells can be targeted to attenuate tumor growth and “perhaps extend the lives of the patients we take care of with brain tumors,” Gutmann said.