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Biomarkers of Clinical Responsiveness in Brain Tumor Patients

Progress and Potential

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Abstract

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. Anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme represent malignant astrocytomas, which are the most common type of malignant gliomas. Despite research efforts in cancer therapy, the prognosis of patients with malignant gliomas remains poor. Research efforts in recent years have focused on investigating the cellular, molecular, and genetic pathways involved in the progression of malignant gliomas. As a result, biomarkers have emerged as diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic tools that have the potential to transform the field of brain tumor diagnostics. An increased understanding of the important molecular pathways that have been implicated in the progression of malignant gliomas has led to the identification of potential diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers, some bearing clinical implications for targeted therapy. Some of the most promising biomarkers to date include loss of chromosomes 1p/19q in oligodendrogliomas and expression of O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in glioblastomas. Other promising biomarkers in glioma research include glial fibrillary acidic protein, galectins, Kir potassium channel proteins, angiogenesis, and apoptosis pathway markers. Research into the clinical relevance and applicability of such biomarkers has the potential to revolutionize our approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant gliomas.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the following grants to Dr Chakravarti: NIH/NCI Grant RO1CA108633, Goldhirsh Foundation Award, the Brain Tumor Funder’s Collaborative Grant, and Brian D. Silber Fund.

The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this review.

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  1. Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Radiation Neuro-Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Areej El-Jawahri, Disha Patel, Min Zhang, Nikol Mladkova &  Arnab Chakravarti

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  1. Areej El-Jawahri
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  2. Disha Patel
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Correspondence to Arnab Chakravarti.

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El-Jawahri, A., Patel, D., Zhang, M. et al. Biomarkers of Clinical Responsiveness in Brain Tumor Patients. Mol Diag Ther 12, 199–208 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03256285

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