Specific alterations in the BRAF gene found that may affect treatment and survival response in adult brain cancers

Researchers have identified a range of genetic alterations in glioma brain cancers that will help them to understand how different mutations in one particular gene interact with other gene alterations and which ones are more susceptible to targeted treatments in adults.

BRAF alterations are important to identify in brain tumours because they can determine treatment. However, it is unclear what types of BRAF alterations occur in adults with glioma, and whether specific BRAF alterations are associated with other gene alterations or with a different clinical course.

The term 'glioma' covers several types of tumours that originate in the glial cells in the brain. Glioblastoma is the most common type in adults and children, occurring in 3.23 per 100,000 of the population, and only 7% of glioblastoma patients survive for five years after diagnosis.New and better treatments are urgently needed, and drugs have been developed that target specific BRAF mutations, such as dabrafenib and trametinib, which inhibit the BRAFv600E mutation. Knowing which mutation or combination of genetic alterations are driving a patient's cancer is crucial to choosing the best therapy that is most likely to prolong survival.