Glioblastoma is a fast-growing type of brain cancer that is very hard to treat. Doctors have a new set of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors to fight this cancer.
These drugs boost the body’s own defense system to target cancer cells. However, a serious issue with these drugs is that they can cause swelling in the brain, also known as cerebral edema.
To manage this swelling, patients often need to take steroids. The downside? Steroids can weaken the body’s defense system, making the cancer-fighting drugs less effective.
So, you’re stuck in a loop—either you treat the cancer but suffer from brain swelling, or you treat the swelling but make the cancer treatment less effective.
A Ray of Hope: Blood Pressure Medicine to the Rescue
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital think they might have a solution: Losartan, a medication usually used to treat high blood pressure.
In their study, they found that the swelling is often caused by an increase in inflammation that messes up a protective shield around the tumor. This leads to leaky blood vessels, which cause swelling.
Losartan seems to fix this. It can lower the inflammation and stop the leak, preventing swelling. But that’s not all. The researchers also found that Losartan made the body’s defense system even better at fighting the tumor.
Promising Results and What’s Next
To test their idea, the researchers used mice that had this type of brain cancer. They gave some mice Losartan along with the cancer-fighting drugs.
The results were encouraging: survival rates improved, and in some cases, the mice were cured. In fact, when they combined Losartan with other common treatments, the survival rate jumped even higher.
The researchers are optimistic about Losartan because it’s safe, effective, and affordable. They think doctors could easily add it to the current treatment plans for people suffering from this aggressive form of brain cancer.
However, they also mention that they need to do more tests with humans to be sure that the results can be applied to patients.
So, there’s a ray of hope. If the findings hold up in human trials, Losartan could be a game-changer in the battle against glioblastoma.
For those who are curious about other health topics, researchers are also looking into how certain diets might increase the risk of cancer, and how vitamin D could help reduce cancer deaths.
Studies are also exploring ways foods like cranberries might boost memory and how drinks like coffee and tea could affect your brain as you age.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that exercise may stop cancer in its tracks, and vitamin D can cut cancer death risk.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies that yogurt and high-fiber diet may cut lung cancer risk, and results showing that new cancer treatment may reawaken the immune system.
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