Groundbreaking, International Brain Tumor Study Recruits 125 Families, Enrolls Participants at all Study Sites

First-Year Study Progress Exceeds Expectations. The groundbreaking, international Gliogene (glioma gene) brain tumor study has already recruited 125 families and enrolled participants at all 15 study sites in the U.S., Europe and Israel.

Chicago (PRWEB) January 15, 2008 -- The groundbreaking, international Gliogene (glioma gene) brain tumor study has already recruited 125 families and enrolled participants at all 15 study sites in the U.S., Europe and Israel. The study, led by Melissa Bondy, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is examining the DNA of families with multiple brain tumors.

"The first-year success of this study has exceeded all expectations," said American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Executive Director Naomi Berkowitz. "The study is on track to definitely improve our understanding of what causes brain tumors, and hopefully, how to better treat and prevent them. We proudly continue to fund this study as it enters its second year."

The first-year success of this study has exceeded all expectations

The ABTA awarded a two-year, $400,000 grant to help fill the budgetary funding gap of this $11 million National Cancer Institute-approved study. ABTA funds will be restricted towards the purchase of arrays to do the actual genotyping to determine if there is a genetic link between relatives who have been diagnosed with gliomas.

Glioma is the general name for any tumor that arises from the supportive tissue called glia, which helps keeps the nerve cells in place and functioning well. There are nearly 360,000 individuals in the United States who are living after the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor. There are no apparent risk factors for gliomas.

The five-year study involves an international consortium of brain tumor specialists in the U.S., United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and Israel. Researchers hope to screen approximately 15,000 individuals in order to secure approximately 400 families for actual DNA analysis. To be eligible for participation in the Gliogene study, families must have at least two or more family members diagnosed with a primary glioma.

In addition to successful accrual, an article about the study results, to date, has been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention (2007 Sep; 16(9):1730-4.). And, researchers in China and Germany have expressed interest in joining the consortium.

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