Study Finds That Cerebrospinal Fluid Contains DNA of Complex Brain Tumors

A recent study undertaken by Mayo Clinic suggests that physicians can gain crucial brain tumor-related information by studying the cerebrospinal fluid of diagnosed patients. Data from the study found that the cerebrospinal fluid of brain tumor patients contains complex brain tumor DNA, providing a new source of information that isn’t as invasive or potentially risky as biopsies. 

Brain tumors are among the deadliest types of cancer; they can be hard to treat and often have very low survival rates after diagnosis. In many cases, physicians struggle to make a proper diagnosis, sometimes because patients have a spinal cord or brain abnormality that has no diagnosis, or due to MRI changes that make it difficult to distinguish whether the tumor is growing or the treatment is having an effect. 

Some patients suffer from leptomeningeal disease where cancer cells spread to the fluids and membranes that surround the spinal cord and brain. Researchers chose 76 patients who were facing one of these three conditions and put them through the study to determine if they could find another means of extracting the data physicians need to make an accurate brain tumor diagnosis. 

The research team soon discovered that 20 of the 76 patients (26%) had tumor-associated DNA in their cerebrospinal fluid, essentially providing physicians with a tool to complement MRI and tissue biopsy. Since the blood-brain barrier makes it difficult for tumor-related DNA to pass from the brain into the bloodstream, the researchers focused their efforts on cerebrospinal fluid. 

This is a clear fluid which surrounds the spinal cord and brain, making it easier for fragments of tumor DNA to leak from the tumor into the surrounding fluid. Dubbed cell-free DNA, these fragments can provide major insight into the tumors they originated from. The research team collected cerebrospinal fluid from their study participants’ lower backs through thin needles and analyzed the DNA fragments contained within the liquid to look for tumor-associated DNA patterns and gene changes. 

Cerebrospinal DNA fragment analysis could complement existing diagnosis techniques like biopsy and MRI by providing crucial data on the genetic features of a tumor, information that is instrumental to creating the right treatment plan and executing it. 

One of the keys to successful brain cancer treatment is early diagnosis coupled with proper treatment, and this new technique could help physicians with the latter by providing additional important data points to investigate. The test researchers used in the Mayo Clinic study is still investigational but it has opened the door to less invasive procedures that can help brain tumor patients treat their conditions more effectively. 

The drugs from entities like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) being developed to target brain cancer could pack a bigger punch if data from cerebrospinal fluid becomes a reliable tool to detect these cancers early and commence treatment. 

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