New Research Shows Gabapentin May Extend Survival in Glioblastoma Patients

A recent study conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham has revealed promising evidence that gabapentin, a widely used medication primarily for nerve pain and seizures, could potentially improve survival outcomes in individuals diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer in adults. The study, published in Nature Communications, analyzed retrospective data from two independent cohorts and found that GBM patients taking gabapentin lived significantly longer than those who were not.

Glioblastoma is characterized by rapid progression and a bleak prognosis, with most patients surviving only about 12 to 14 months post-diagnosis. The research pointed to an intriguing link between gabapentin use and increased overall survival; patients on the medication experienced an average survival of 16 months, compared to 12 months in patients not taking it. Further validation came from a second dataset from UCSF, where patients with newly diagnosed GBM on gabapentin had an average survival of nearly 21 months versus about 15 months for others.

The scientists also observed lower serum levels of TSP-1, a protein involved in neural and tumor cell interaction, in patients treated with gabapentin, suggesting a possible biomarker for treatment response. These findings are particularly exciting as they propose a readily available, safe medication could influence GBM outcomes.

Lead researcher Joshua Bernstock emphasized the significance: "This discovery could be practice-changing for GBM treatment, given that available therapies have only made modest progress over the decades." However, Bernstock cautioned that the study’s retrospective nature means that prospective, randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm gabapentin's effectiveness and safety in this context.

The findings are rooted in the emerging field of cancer neuroscience, which explores how neural signaling pathways are manipulated by tumors. Previous research indicated neural proteins like thrombospondin-1 may promote tumor growth by hijacking neural mechanisms. The current study supports the idea that targeting these pathways with drugs like gabapentin could open new avenues for therapy.

As glioblastoma remains one of the deadliest brain cancers, this discovery offers hope for extending survival and improving quality of life. Further clinical trials are underway to explore this promising therapeutic strategy and better understand the role of neural proteins in tumor progression.