For lower-grade glioma brain tumors, there have been almost no advances in treatment in nearly 30 years. One of the contributing factors to this staggering fact is, of course, a lack of research understanding how these slow-growing tumors progress.
Researchers from ACCORDS are part of a three-center study called the OPTIMUM Project that is addressing this lack of research in lower-grade gliomas. The research teams are investigating the molecular evolution of lower-grade gliomas (astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas), slow-growing but malignant brain tumors that primarily affect young adults. Partners from the University of Colorado (CU), Yale University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Jackson Laboratory recently received a $13 million, four-year center grant from the National Cancer Institute to enhance participation in the Low-Grade Glioma Registry.