Brain tumours are the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Canadian children and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in young adults. (Credit: Marvin 101, Wikimedia Commons)
Two Canadian studies have found gene mutations that are linked to deadly brain tumors and could help scientists understand the causes of childhood brain cancer.
In the first paper, researchers found mutations in a gene called ACVR1 in 20 per cent of a highly aggressive and difficult to treat childhood brain tumour, called diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas. In a second paper, authors found the same mutation in 12 per cent in a more common kind of tumour, high-grade astrocytomas.
Original research paper published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 6, 2014.
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