ZURICH: A low-cost drug on the market may be effective for malignant brain tumors, say scientists.
Glioblastomas are aggressive and fast-growing brain tumors that affect thousands of people each year and currently have no cure.
Life expectancy can be extended through operations, radiation or chemotherapy, but patients typically live between 12 and 18 months after a cancer diagnosis.
According to The Brain Tumor Charity, only a quarter of glioblastoma patients survive more than a year after diagnosis.
Finding a drug that can effectively fight brain tumors is difficult because most cancer drugs cannot cross the barrier between the blood and the brain.
This layer is a layer of tightly packed cells that prevent germs and harmful compounds from affecting the brain.
While many drugs cannot cross this barrier, antidepressants bypass this layer and reach the brain.
Researchers at the University Hospital Zurich tested a drug called vortioxetine on mice infected with glioblastoma.
The drug has been shown to be effective in combination with other tumor treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
