Fasting and therapy for brain tumours: In an Open Access study appearing in PLOS One researchers have identified a beneficial role for controlled starving (fasting) in the sensitisation of rat, mouse and human cells to radiation therapy and chemotherapy (TMZ). A corresponding author Professor Valter Longo commented that patients should consult with their oncologist before undertaking any fasting: "You want to balance the risks. You have to do it right. But if the conditions are such that you've run out of options, short-term fasting may represent an important possibility for patients."

Brain metastases: A Cochrane review of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) alone versus WBRT and radiosurgery for the treatment of brain metastases concluded that their "Analysis of all included patients, SRS plus WBRT, did not show a survival benefit over WBRT alone. However, performance status and local control were significantly better in the SRS plus WBRT group. Furthermore, significantly longer OS was reported in the combined treatment group for recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) Class I patients as well as patients with single metastasis."

Blue asbestos and brain tumours: A study of people who were exposed to blue asbestos in childhood in Western Australia has found that both males and females have elevated numbers of brain cancers compared with the general population of that State.

Improved nanoparticles: Researchers at Johns Hopkins (USA) have found a way to improve the inflitration of nanoparticles into the brain by coating nano-sized plastic beads with PEG (poly (ethylene glycol). Their next step is to slow tumour growth or recurrence in rodents.

Green tea and cognitive function: Chinese researchers have found that a key property of green tea (EGCG epigallocatechin-3 gallate) can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells. You can access the full article here.

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