Glioblastoma brain cancer research: Boston study provides glimmer of hope

A new examination by Mass General Brigham researchers provides a glimmer of hope for patients with glioblastoma the greater part common and deadly form of brain cancer in adults The researchers identified that glioblastoma patients who received a common anti-seizure and pain drug gabapentin ended up living longer This scrutiny is an exciting step forward disclosed lead author Joshua Bernstock a clinical fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women s Hospital GBM glioblastoma is a relentlessly progressive and nearly universally fatal illness Bernstock added The discovery that an already approved medication with a favorable safety profile can extend overall survival represents a meaningful and potentially practice-changing advance With about new glioblastoma cases diagnosed each year in the U S the cancer accounts for preponderance primary brain tumors in adults Overall survival has barely improved over the last several decades with most of patients living only to months after identification and months after recurrence The new examination was sparked by insight from the field of cancer neuroscience which demonstrated the success of using gabapentin in mouse models Intrigued by this research Bernstock and colleagues looked at the outcomes of glioblastoma patients at Mass General Brigham Plenty of of the patients were already taking gabapentin for reasons that typically centered on nerve pain Those who were taking the drug survived an average of months compared to months for those who weren t This four-month survival benefit was statistically vital Because the results seemed almost too good to be true according to Bernstock he connected with Shawn Hervey-Jumper s club at University of California San Francisco to add to the dataset and discovered they were able to replicate what was unveiled at Mass General Brigham Of the patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma included in the UCSF cohort patients on gabapentin survived an average of months while those not taking gabapentin survived an average of months Together the details included patients and revealed a substantial survival benefit Related Articles Georgia become second US state to shield maker of Roundup weed killer from specific cancer alleges First at-home test kit for cervical cancer approved by the FDA company says Cancer before age is increasing A new inquiry looks at which types King Charles III says his cancer journey brought the best of humanity into focus Mighty Quinn society rallies to get cancer survivor s Mighty Dad back after brain tumor problem in Ireland There have been very insufficient advances in survival for GBM patients since the early s Bernstock explained We need to think more creatively about the emerging biology in these tumors and how to target them While the findings are promising the analysis is retrospective the researchers didn t give patients gabapentin in a controlled way to test its effects Bernstock stressed that larger randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the results