Chinese researchers found that treating an invasive, non-cancerous disease brain tumor that leads to complications, including diabetes, could lie in a cheap drug often prescribed for high blood pressure.
Use animal models that recreate human craniopharyngioma – a rare, slow-growing tumor that affects the hypothalamus or pituitary gland – the team was able to study its growth and potential treatment options. They shared their findings in a paper published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine.
“Our research provides important ideas for the development of cancer drugs,” said Wu Qingfeng, study leader and senior researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to Wu, the study could inform future work on identifying cellular origins and genetic mutations, building animal models, high-throughput drug screening to identify potential treatments, and the use of reverse translational research. to study the mechanism of tumor growth.
Patients with craniopharyngioma can present with a wide range of symptoms, including morbid obesity, diabetesvisual effects and a reduction in hormonal secretion, either due to the growth of the tumor or following treatment.
Surgical removal is the main treatment for brain tumor, but it may carry a risk of complications and recurrence. This has made the tumor a challenge not only for neurosurgeons, but also for endocrinologists.