Colorful But Deadly: Images of Brain Cancer

Spreading Cancer

cancer in a mouse — (Image credit: Eric Bushong)

Cancer (green) spreads through a mouse brain. Researchers reporting in the journal Science on Oct. 18 have found that genetic changes to the cancer cells reverts them to stem cells, which can divide continuously.

Green Glioma

cancer in brain of mouse — (Image credit: Eric Bushong)

A glioma, a cancer arising from glial cells, grows in the brain of a mouse.

Cancer Cells

A glioma in a mouse brain — (Image credit: Eric Bushong)

A glioma (green) grows in a mouse brain. The glioma cells express a biological marker (in red) indicating their transformation into stem cells.

Tumor in a Mouse Brain

brain cell in mouse — (Image credit: Eric Bushong)

A tumor (green) grows in a mouse brain. Researchers found that any type of brain cell can give rise to these tumors.

Glioma

Glioblastomas are the most aggressive and common brain tumors, with an average survival of 14 months after diagnosis. Here, cancer spreads in a mouse brain.

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.