Tears can be a sign of sadness, joy and relief. But what if they could also help save lives?
Our scientists believe these tiny drops of fluid may hold vital clues about what’s happening deep inside the brain and could one day help doctors detect brain tumours earlier.
At the University of manchester, Professor Petra hamerlik is leading pioneering research funded thru our Stand Up to Cancer campaign to explore this surprising idea.
A window into the brain
early findings suggest that changes in tear fluid could offer an extraordinary window into the brain, potentially helping to diagnose a disease that’s notoriously challenging to detect.
“Brain tumours are often detected late because their symptoms are vague,” says Professor Hamerlik. “A headache or seizure might be the first sign. Most of the time, it’s just a bad headache, not a tumour. But when it is a brain tumour,the delay in diagnosis can cause huge anxiety for patients and affect their quality of life.”
Hamerlik knows this all too well. She lost her father to a brain tumour after more than a year of uncertainty.
”I don’t want anybody else to go through that anxiety, as I know what we have been through, what my father went through,” she says. This deeply personal experience has motivated her to find a better way to diagnose brain tumours.
The brain’s hidden barrier
Scientists are exploring all kinds of ways to detect cancers earlier, like analysing bodily fluids for biological clues. Some cancers shed cells or fragments of DNA into the blood, saliva or even urine and researchers are developing tests to help pick up these signs.
But the brain presents a unique challenge. It’s protected by the blood-brain barrier, a biological shield that acts as a filter to keep harmful substances out. Crucially though, it also traps much of what’s inside. That makes it harder for doctors to find the biological clues they need to understand