A team of researchers may have identified a gene responsible for causing spinal meningioma, the most common form of spinal tumors, according to the University of Manchester.
The team, led by Miriam Smith, MD, Gareth Evans, PhD, and Bill Newman, MD, studied families with a genetic history of meningioma growth. They used genetic sequencing to identify the gene SMARCE1 and see that changes in the gene led to tumor growth in some families.
The next step for researchers will be to develop a screening program to assess risk for individuals with a family history and to find preventions or treatments.
The Children's Tumor Foundation, a U.S.-based charity, and the Association for International Cancer Research funded the work.
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The next step for researchers will be to develop a screening program to assess risk for individuals with a family history and to find preventions or treatments.
The Children's Tumor Foundation, a U.S.-based charity, and the Association for International Cancer Research funded the work.
More Articles on Spine:
6 Top Advocacy Issues for North American Spine Society
Medtronic Grants $7M to Collaborative Spine Research Foundation
24 Spine Surgeons Discuss Most Exciting Trends for the Future