Brain and other nervous system cancers are the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 16,000 people each year. The five-year survival rate for this type of cancer is only 34 percent for men and 36 percent for women. Depending on the size, type and grade of the tumor, as well as other factors, like where the tumor is located, conventional treatment usually involves surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The success rate for these treatments is low, however, and the side effects of both the tumors themselves and their treatment can be devastating. A new study by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, provides new hope in the fight against brain cancer.