Identifying sensitive biomarkers for the treatment of Medulloblastoma

Each year between 250 and 500 children are diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, accounting for 18% to 20% of childhood brain tumours. More than 70% of Medulloblastomas occur in children younger than ten. Survival rates can be as high as 70% when the cancer has not spread, but sadly fall to 60% if the cancer has spread to the Central Nervous System.

At the University of Salford, researchers are looking for new ways of detecting Medulloblastoma in patients. By studying cells that are produced by the cancer that travel from the brain to the blood, researchers hope to identify markers known as microRNAs to create non-invasive ways of detecting Medulloblastoma.