New device can slow growth of brain tumour

New York

AN electrical device glued to the scalp can slow cancer growth and prolong survival in people with the deadliest type of brain tumour, researchers reported.

The device is not a cure and, on average, adds only a few months of life when used along with the standard regimen of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Some doctors have questioned its usefulness. But scientists conducting a new study said that the device was the first therapy in a decade to extend life in people with glioblastomas, brain tumours in which median survival is 15 months even with the best treatment.