1. Relationship Between Malignant Brain Tumors and Values of Homocysteine, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12
- Author
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Marko Djurovic, Zivanka Djurovic, Slavica Mutavdzin, Irena Cvrkota, Milos Drobnjakovic, and Vladimir Jovanović
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Homocysteine ,business.industry ,3. Good health ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,030104 developmental biology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Endocrinology ,Folic acid ,chemistry ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Vitamin B12 ,business - Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Homocysteine (Hcy) has a detrimental influence on human neurons, considering that human GBM cells undergo cell death already at D,L-Hcy concentrations in culture medium of 50 μM. This data demonstrate that Hcy is a potent gliotoxic agent capable of inducing the death of human glial cells already at concentrations reached in brain during hyperhomocysteinemia. The one retrospective study found that the serum vitamin B12 level can be used to predict survival time in metastatic cancer patients including neurological cancer. Cancer risk increases with elevated vitamin B12 level, mostly within the first year of the follow-up period, suggesting that vitamin B12 level could be used as a cancer diagnostic marker. In addition, the relationship between elevated vitamin B12 level and poor cancer survival time has been reported. Previous investigation suggests that the folate supplementation could be used as an adjuvant in antiglioma therapy to limit the low DNA methylation level because this confers a poor prognosis in glioblastoma multiforme patients. Taking into account all presented data, it can be concluded that effect of homocystein, folic acid and vitamin B12 on formation, development and outcome of treatment in patients with carcinoma is very intriguing question, whose response requires additional both experimental and clinical research. There lack of data in the literature on the incidence of elevated levels of Hcy in the blood, as well as the disorders of folic acid and vitamin B12, at malignant tumors of the brain.
- Published
- 2023