Abstract
In brain tumours a variety of genetic alterations has been observed. Some of them were found to be characteristic of more than one type of neuroepithelial tissue tumours (NTT), thus suggesting the presence of alterations critical for NTT development in these regions. The most frequently observed chromosomal aberrations in NTT include: polisomy of chromosome 7, amplification of 7p, 12q13-q21, monosomy of either a part or the whole chromosome 10, as well as aberrations of chromosomes: 1p, 9 13, 17 and 19q. A model of two distinct molecular pathways in primary and secondary glioma development has recently been proposed. In the former pathway up-regulation of EGFR and MDM2, accompanied by loss of function of PTEN, while in the latter up-regulation of PDGFRA and CDK4, together with down-regulation of p53 as well as CDKN2A and Rb1 are of critical value. Many different genes seem to play a role in the processes of invasion and metastasis such as genes coding for proteins involved in adhesion and angiogenesis.
Identification of the mechanisms and proteins involved in cancerogenesis and metastasis led to the development of new targeted therapy.
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