In males with glioblastoma, a neuroinflammation protein has been related to a lower survival rate

Nov, 2021 - By WMR

Scientists have found a connection that may help the medical and scientific communities comprehend why glioblastoma, the most prevalent malignant brain tumor, affects more men than women.

A recent study from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work demonstrates for the first time a relation between translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), a commonly used neuroinflammation biomarker, and survival outcomes in a glioblastoma patient. The results indicate that a difference in the structure of the protein corresponds with poorer survival outcomes in men than in women.

Glioblastoma is observed in the adult population and affects men 1.6 times more than women. Glioblastoma affects about 12,000 individuals in the U.S. every year. glioblastoma patients have symptoms such as chronic headaches, seizures, or brain function loss like personality abnormalities and loss of memory. Glioblastomas pose a significant risk to individuals. The average survival time is 12 to 14 months, with just roughly 7% of individuals living for 5 years and above. As there is no treatment for the condition, improved treatments and techniques to improve prognosis are desperately required.

Researchers compared the clinical outcomes of 441 glioblastoma men and women patients to the TSPO polymorphic variant rs6971, the common variants discovered in humans. Men with the TSPO mutation revealed lower overall and progression-free lifespan periods than women with glioblastoma. In women, there was no relation between survival time and variation. The variance, according to the results, does have the potential to act as a biomarker for glioblastoma patients as a sign of a bad prognosis. Researchers have been considering gender variations in immune responses in glioblastoma, and this joint effort gives a surprising instance of a variation that exhibits a gender difference, implying that there are probably others that operate similarly. According to Diana Azzam, assistant professor at Stempel College, this would be the first among many research studies on using TSPO as a predictive biomarker.