Brain cancer could be treated more easily using stem cells from the lining of the mouth, new research suggests. 

Scientists at the University of Reading found that when stem cells from the mouth were transplanted into mouse brain tissue, they slowed cancer growth and reduced the size of tumours formed. 

The study, published in Stem Cell Review and Reports, shows that when this procedure was carried out alongside primary chemotherapy, tumours were reduced without harming surrounding healthy brain tissue. 

Glioblastoma remains the most aggressive form of brain cancer in adults and, of 3,200 people diagnosed each year in the UK, only 160 will survive for five years or more. Even after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, most patients survive little more than a year.  

Scientists believe brain cancer is difficult to treat because it hijacks the body’s own systems to help it grow and resist treatment. Developing new ways to disrupt this process is one of the biggest challenges in cancer research. 

“Brain cancer cells send out signals that tell the body to protect the tumour,” said Professor Darius Widera, Lead Author from the University of Reading. 

“The stem cell proteins blocked these signals while turning up a separate set of signals that work against the cancer, essentially flipping the cancer’s own defences against it.” 

“What makes this finding particularly exciting is that the same proteins also enhanced the effectiveness of the standard chemotherapy drug,” added Dr Graeme Cottrell, Co-Author of the study from the University of Reading. 

“This dual approach of weakening the cancer’s defences while simultaneously boosting the impact of existing treatment is exactly the kind of strategy needed for a disease that has been so challenging to treat.”