Two areas of a gene called PIK3CA are susceptible to a number of mutations found in five forms of brain cancer, says research in the Aug. 1 issue of Cancer Research.Mutations in the gene occur spontaneously as part of the development of brain tumors, rather than being inherited, according to Dr. Hai Yan, senior scientist of the studies that included researchers from Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Utah.PIK3CA is part of a family of genes that encode enzymes that modify fatty molecules and direct cells to grow, change shape and move.
