A study co-led by Virginia Tech researcher Qi Ye of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C., reveals how changes in the brain after injury can create conditions that support tumor growth.

After a stroke, the brain gets to work repairing damaged tissue.

But new research suggests some of the same biological processes that aid recovery may also help tumor cells grow and spread.

In a study published in Nature Cancer, researchers found that ischemic strokes — caused by blocked blood flow to the brain — altered the environment surrounding gliomas, a form of brain cancer, in ways that accelerated tumor progression.

“What we found is that glioma cells can take advantage of the same processes the brain uses to repair itself after an injury to help the tumor progress,” said Qi Ye, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Ca…