childhood brain tumor

An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain "stem" cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers.

The findings hint at potential new treatment approaches for medulloblastoma by targeting the origins of the tumors, and further suggest that not all patients' tumors may be born from the same cells.

A new discovery suggests a safer way to treat medulloblastoma, a rare but often fatal childhood brain tumor.

Researchers discovered that proteins BMP2, BMP4 and BMP7 inhibit the growth of medulloblastoma tumors, while inducing malignant cells to develop into normal neurons, a finding that may lead to better treatments for the cancer.