Metro doctors hope new local research could lead to cure for brain tumors

ATLANTA — Across the country and right here in Atlanta, research is being done to hopefully find a cure for brain tumors that kill thousands of Americans each year.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington spoke with doctors at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital on Thursday who are some of the top in the field.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Tyler Kenning said the frustration is real when it comes to brain tumors.

“This is very humbling from our standpoint to see tough things happen to good people,” Kenning said.

He told Washington that there’s really no rhyme or reason when it comes to why brain tumors develop and why those tumors attack seemingly healthy people.

“Abnormal cells in the body and in the brain that seem to grow abnormally for unknown reasons,” Kenning said.

This weekend the WSB-TV family will join the Georgia Brain Tumor Walk and Race event at the Battery in Cobb County to walk in honor of our beloved Jovita Moore.

In 2021, Jovita died after a brave fight against glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

RELATED STORIES:

• Jovita Moore hoped her cancer battle could help someone in the future
• ‘Jovita, this is for you’: Gala honors Jovita Moore as she battles brain cancer
• What is glioblastoma? What you need to know about the brain tumor

“When you think of cancers, oftentimes there’s a capsule or membrane around them such that you’re able to remove them in total. There’s nothing like that in a glioma,” neurooncologist Dr. Aaron Mammoser said.

“They’re infiltrating the brain, so there’s not much separation between the brain and tumor and taking them out is difficult,” said Dr. Andrew Sloan, chief of neurosciences at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.

Washington asked Sloan what types of research and treatments are being done to hopefully cure brain cancer or even stop it before it forms.

“One of the things that seems to be very promising is immunotherapy. Here, we’ve done some trials where we combine radiation chemotherapy with immune therapy using an immune modulator called an immune checkpoint inhibitor and that has shown some promise,” Sloan said.

Doctors told Washington what’s so frustrating about this disease, is that there’s no concrete explanation as to why the tumors develop, but there are new treatments.

The Georgia Brain Tumor Walk and Race will be Saturday at the Battery Atlanta.

Registration opens at 7 a.m. CLICK HERE for more information.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Remembering Jovita Moore on year anniversary of her death

©2023 Cox Media Group