Brain cancer patients who received this pain medication lived longer, study shows
Glioblastoma, the most aggressive and deadly type of brain cancer, is known to have a very poor prognosis — but a new study suggests that a pain-relieving drug could extend survival.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham have found that an already-approved medication — a pain reliever and anti-seizure medication called gabapentin — has been linked to improved survival in patients with glioblastoma.
The findings were published in Nature Communications last week.
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Inspired by previous mouse studies that showed gadapentin’s potential in targeting tumors, the researchers studied the medical outcomes of nearly 700 patients with glioblastoma.
Many of them had already been taking gabapentin to alleviate nerve pain, according to a press release from MGB.
The patients who were taking the drug survived four months longer than those who were not — 16 months compared to 12 months — which was described as «statistic..