A team of doctors at Turin's Molinette hospital has contributed to a breakthrough that could lead to improve therapies to treat brain metastases. The discovery regards the biological mechanism behind brain metastasis.

The team from Molinette hospital's neuro-oncology department, together with researchers in Madrid, say that the growth of metastases in the brain coming from lung and breast tumours is facilitated by the presence of a molecular factor that affects the healthy cells that were considered a defensive barrier.