New pH-Based Approach May Help Treat Deadly Brain Cancer
- Authors
- Salvador Harguindey, Julian Polo Orozco, Khalid O. Alfarouk, Jesus Devesa
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijms20174278
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Spain
- Health Condition
- Glioblastoma Multiforme
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists discovered that a deadly brain cancer called glioblastoma might be beatable by targeting the acid balance inside cancer cells, which could finally give doctors a new way to treat this cancer that has been almost impossible to cure.
Key Finding
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Summary
Scientists have identified a promising new approach to treat glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. This cancer relies heavily on sugar for energy and creates an acidic environment through hydrogen ion activity. Researchers propose targeting the tumor's pH levels and hydrogen ion transporters, particularly a protein called NHE1, to disrupt cancer growth. This pH-centered approach could work alone or alongside current treatments. Since glioblastoma has remained essentially incurable for decades with extremely poor survival rates, this hydrogen ion-focused strategy represents a potentially breakthrough treatment paradigm for patients facing this devastating diagnosis.
Abstract
The treatment of cancer has been slowly but steadily progressing during the last fifty years. Some tumors with a high mortality in the past are curable nowadays. However, there is one striking exception: glioblastoma multiforme. No real breakthrough has been hitherto achieved with this tumor with ominous prognosis and very short survival. Glioblastomas, being highly glycolytic malignancies are strongly pH-dependent and driven by the sodium hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1) and other proton (H+) transporters. Therefore, this is one of those pathologies where the lessons recently learnt from the new pH-centered anticancer paradigm may soon bring a promising change to treatment. This contribution will discuss how the pH-centric molecular, biochemical and metabolic perspective may introduce some urgently needed and integral novel treatments. Such a prospective therapeutic approach for malignant brain tumors is developed here, either to be used alone or in combination with more standard therapies.