A method could improve how patients with cancer that has spread to the brain use radiation therapy

Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Institute (CNIO), led by Dr.

When cancer progresses, it usually spreads to the brain, where it becomes more difficult to treat

Radiation therapy is considered the gold standard for treating tumors that have spread to the brain from other parts of the body, but these tumors are in many cases resistant to treatment

The new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, used a mouse model of brain metastases to identify a specific network of proteins inside cancer cells that are responsible for their resistance to radiation therapy.

The study also found that a drug called a RAGE inhibitor could target the newly discovered mechanism and reverse resistance to radiation therapy in mouse models

The study's lead author, Dr.

"We are very excited about the findings of this study, especially the drugs we have discovered

Dr Helen Rippon, CEO of Global Cancer Research, said: "Finding new ways to personalise cancer treatment is an exciting area of ​​research that could open up new cancer treatments

"Discovery cancer research like this is a critical first step in developing new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent cancer