Two Genes Work in Tandem to Spur Deadliest Brain Cancer

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Iavarone and colleagues determined that each of these newly identified genes -- C/EPB and Stat3 -- caused little damage on their own but, in tandem, wreaked havoc by switching on hundreds of other genes.

After almost a year, all patients in the study who had both genes turned on had died versus only one-half of those who had different types of tumors.

"These are not markers but master regulators of the most aggressive phenotype of brain tumor," Iavarone said. "Markers can tell us certain features of tumors but they're not the real engine behind the tumors. We have found the real driver making the tumors."

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Turning off the genes in human brain tumor cells rendered them incapable of forming tumors when injected into mice.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on brain tumors.

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