Recent discoveries by scientists at the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have generated excitement and hope for control of diseases that can devastate the body's most vital organ - the brain. It is estimated that one out of three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. About 500,000 people die from cancer in the United States each year. For reasons that remain unexplained, even when analysis corrects for an aging population and improved diagnostic ability, the incidence of brain tumors continues to increase. More alarming is the rise in brain tumors in children.
Brain tumors are now the leading cause of death from cancer in children.
At the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, major clinical and research efforts are underway to develop an effective treatment for brain tumors. Important advances have already been made and novel clinical protocols are in progress. However, we plan to expand our research efforts to accelerate the discoveries from our laboratories and the translation of these discoveries to new treatments. A natural mechanism called the blood-brain barrier has been one of the most difficult challenges facing brain specialists. Although a network of blood vessels nourishes the brain, this biologic barrier prevents drugs administered into the bloodstream from reaching brain tissue.