Cancer drug ‘can beat brain barrier’

SCOTTISH scientists have found a drug that can cross the blood brain barrier to reach brain tumours.

The cancer drug olaparib could be an effective treatment for glioblastoma, a common form of the illness.

It is already used to treat ovarian cancer but the new results show it could also reach brain tumours which are usually very difficult to treat.

The research was led by the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, and will be presented at the National Cancer

‘Figures expose the stark reality’ ‘We are in a much stronger position’

Research Institute’s Cancer Conference in Liverpool today.

Professor Anthony Chalmers, Chair of Clinical Oncology at the University of Glasgow, who led the research, explained: ‘Brain tumours are stubbornly difficult to treat and one of the main reasons for this is the blood brain barrier, a natural filter that blocks the passage of drugs.

‘But these results suggest that olaparib is able to leak through because this barrier is disrupted in glioblastoma.

‘By showing that this drug reaches brain tumours, we are in a much stronger position to use it to make current treatments more effective.’

Around 265 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year in Scotland. Cancer cells in the regions it affects cannot be removed by surgery, making drug treatment vital.