But for couples who are able to avoid that destructive behavior-or what Sandy calls "unskillful ways to deal with differences" -conflict from time to time can be like relationship therapy.

Sometimes, honest communication is all it takes to weather relationship crises and maintain healthy relationships. In other cases, family therapy or other types of counseling can be helpful.

Further studies will examine the relationship among the Notch, Hedgehog and Wnt pathways in glioblastoma and look for other signaling processes that help tumors become resistant to therapy, he says.