Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer with only a 5% survival rate at five years. It's usually treated by surgically removing the tumor, followed by radiation or chemotherapy to mop up any remaining cells. Unfortunately, the cancer often returns in a form that's resistant to those treatments.

But in a new study, scientists at Stanford developed a less invasive method to treat brain tumors that, in tests in mice, significantly increased survival times. All it took was 15 minutes of treatment per day for 15 days, even while the mice were just doing their usual thing.

The technique works on an emerging treatment for various types of cancer that involves injecting nanoparticles into a tumor, then triggering them to heat up. Triggers can take the form of an electromagnetic field, ultrasound or light, and since cancer cells are more sensitive to heat than healthy cells, this can kill them with minimal harm to surrounding tissue.