GLIOGENE:
An International Brain Tumor Family Study

Brain tumors: Do they run in your family?

Brain tumors are rare, and we don't yet fully understand what causes them. Very few appear to be hereditary, yet most brain tumors are associated with changes in an individual's genes.

If you're concerned about your own or your family's risk of brain tumors and meet the study requirements, you may be eligible to participate in an International Brain Tumor Family Study called GLIOGENE.

Your genes and cancer

We inherit genes from our parents, and, over time, changes in our genes may occur. These changes are called genetic alterations, and they may result in cancer.

Certain genetic alterations may place individuals at increased risk of developing cancer. This is why some cancers appear to run in families. If you have a particular genetic alteration, you may be at increased risk for certain types of cancer.

By providing a family health history and a small blood sample brain tumor patients and their families significantly improve our ability to understand the hereditary factors of the disease.

Research can help find the answers

GLIOGENE is an international consortium of familial brain tumor researchers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and Israel. With GLIOGENE, we may be able learn more about possible genes related to this disease -- and then identify a genetic link among family members of brain tumor patients.

Identifying a genetic link may provide information about the disease -- information that one day we hope will lead to improved treatment, as well as preventive strategies.

GLIOGENE is the largest study ever to be conducted on familial gliomas, or primary brain tumors. Researchers aim to screen approximately 15,000 individuals worldwide during the five-year study.

Who is eligible?

Families eligible for participation in the GLIOGENE study must have two biologically related family members who have been diagnosed with a primary brain tumor.

Requirements for participation

If you decide to participate in this study, we'll ask you to take part in a 45-minute research interview and risk questionnaire over the phone or in person. Most of the interview questions address your family's medical history. Additionally, we may ask you and some of your family members to give a small blood sample to help us identify possible genes related to development of brain tumors.

Your confidentiality is assured

All information that you provide, as well as your blood sample results, will be kept completely confidential. No one outside this study may have access to your information without your permission.

Questions about the study

If you would like more information or would like to refer a family to the study contact

Georgina Armstrong, Study Coordinator, at (713) 563-1457 or (800) 248-4856. Our fax number is (713) 794-1964.

Please proceed to our registration page. Feel free to email us for further information.

The GLIOGENE study is a collaboration among these participating institutions:
In the United States:
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Case Western Reserve University
Columbia University
Duke University
Northshore University HealthSystem
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Mayo Clinic Rochester
University of California, San Francisco
University of Illinois, Chicago

In Europe and Israel:
Gertner Institute, Israel Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Denmark
Institute of Cancer Research, United Kingdom
Umea University Hospital, Sweden

GLIOGENE: Genetic Epidemiology of Glioma International Consortium is funded by the United States National Cancer Institute 1R01CA119215-01A1, the America Brain Tumor Association, and the National Brain Tumor Foundation.