SOLVING A
FAMILY MYSTERY
Researchers discover that a gene mutation is a common link among family
members diagnosed with the same form of brain cancer, creating a foundation
for additional investigation to uncover the development of familial glioblastoma
lioblastoma is a ruthless
disease, and it’s very rare
to find multiple family
members stricken by it. The Dela
Rosa family’s experience—three of
them diagnosed with glioblastoma—
served as the catalyst for neurooncologist Ekokobe Fonkem, DO, a
neuro-oncologist at the Neuroscience
Institute at Baylor Scott & White
Health - Central Texas, to study why.
The research team’s findings have
paved the way for additional research
to answer that ultimate question,
which will take time. Through DNA
analysis, Dr. Fonkem and his team of
researchers have found that a mutation
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THE CATALYST Fall 16 | sw.org
of the HRAS gene was present in
these family members, an important
connection that may eventually help
diagnose and treat patients afflicted by
the lethal disease earlier, resulting in
better outcomes.
It’s the most common type of brain
cancer, but medical science still knows
little about it. Part of what’s known
is that glioblastoma is very difficult to
treat, and it affects men slightly more
than women. Three in 100,000 people
are diagnosed with it. “Typically,
the treatment is surgery to remove
the tumor, followed by radiation
and chemotherapy. Recurrence is
common,” says Dr. Fonkem. “Even
with the most aggressive treatment,
the median survival time is less than
15 months.” Erxi Wu, PhD, the new
director of the Tumor Research Center
at the Neuroscience Institute, says.
“This institute is dedicated to generating
knowledge and promoting innovative
research in the field of neuroscience, so
we need to fully understand the biology
of glioblastoma.” When Dr. Fonkem
approached him to work together to
study the disease, Dr. Wu accepted the
task immediately.
Brain cancer in general is a research
priority within the Neuroscience
Institute, because of its devastating
effects. “When people get a brain