Study Explores Whether a Common Vitamin Could Fight Brain Cancer
Researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada are conducting further trials after early studies revealed that vitamin B3, or niacin, holds promise in restoring immune function in the fight against glioblastoma, a brain cancer that grows aggressively and is hard to treat.
For over two decades, no significant advancement has been made to improve treatment outcomes in patients with glioblastoma. Treatments like radiation, surgery and chemotherapy help, but the tumors regrow and survival times are dismal. The team at the University of Calgary wanted to establish whether vitamin B3 in high doses may boost treatment outcomes when used alongside current treatment approaches.
The scientists want to find out whether this vitamin can strengthen the immune system and make it better able to fight this aggressive cancer.
In preclinical trials, the team led by Doctor Gloria R. Urgoiti and Doctor Wee Yong found that niacin helped to increase the survival of mice with glioblastoma. These early findings motivated the researchers to plan phase 1 and 2 clinical trials to test whether a similar outcome could be registered in human subjects.
Yong explains that the immune system normally attacks tumor cells, but glioblastoma suppresses immune function. The goal of using niacin is to restore the capacity of the immune system to continue the fight against this cancer.
The clinical trial was geared at finding out the highest dose of this vitamin that could be administered safely and whether the use of slow-release niacin could boost the efficacy of standard interventions like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The team gave themselves a target that their research could only move to the next level once survival rates improve by at least 20% when compared to existing data on progression-free survival at the six-month point under current treatment approaches.
Early results of the use of niacin in 24 patients revealed that 82% exhibited no disease progression at the half-year mark. This finding indicates a 28% improvement when compared to prior studies. This shows that niacin has potential in aiding the fight against glioblastoma, a disease that has defied treatment.
While the researchers are excited by their findings, they are calling for caution as larger studies need to be planned to conduct further investigations about the use of this vitamin. They say the use of any vitamin in high doses could trigger adverse side effects if experienced medical professionals don’t supervise the treatment process.
It remains to be seen whether clinical studies involving larger numbers of patients confirm what these early studies have shown about the benefits of using niacin alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy to boost treatment outcomes. If results are good, it could open the door to using combination treatments that include niacin and other future therapies from firms like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) indicated for glioblastoma and other cancers of the brain.
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
Researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada are conducting further trials after early studies revealed that vitamin B3, or niacin, holds promise in restoring immune function in the fight against glioblastoma, a brain cancer that grows aggressively and is hard to treat.
For over two decades, no significant advancement has been made to improve treatment outcomes in patients with glioblastoma. Treatments like radiation, surgery and chemotherapy help, but the tumors regrow and survival times are dismal. The team at the University of Calgary wanted to establish whether vitamin B3 in high doses may boost treatment outcomes when used alongside current treatment approaches.
The scientists want to find out whether this vitamin can strengthen the immune system and make it better able to fight this aggressive cancer.
In preclinical trials, the team led by Doctor Gloria R. Urgoiti and Doctor Wee Yong found that niacin helped to increase the survival of mice with glioblastoma. These early findings motivated the researchers to plan phase 1 and 2 clinical trials to test whether a similar outcome could be registered in human subjects.
Yong explains that the immune system normally attacks tumor cells, but glioblastoma suppresses immune function. The goal of using niacin is to restore the capacity of the immune system to continue the fight against this cancer.
The clinical trial was geared at finding out the highest dose of this vitamin that could be administered safely and whether the use of slow-release niacin could boost the efficacy of standard interventions like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The team gave themselves a target that their research could only move to the next level once survival rates improve by at least 20% when compared to existing data on progression-free survival at the six-month point under current treatment approaches.
Early results of the use of niacin in 24 patients revealed that 82% exhibited no disease progression at the half-year mark. This finding indicates a 28% improvement when compared to prior studies. This shows that niacin has potential in aiding the fight against glioblastoma, a disease that has defied treatment.
While the researchers are excited by their findings, they are calling for caution as larger studies need to be planned to conduct further investigations about the use of this vitamin. They say the use of any vitamin in high doses could trigger adverse side effects if experienced medical professionals don’t supervise the treatment process.
It remains to be seen whether clinical studies involving larger numbers of patients confirm what these early studies have shown about the benefits of using niacin alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy to boost treatment outcomes. If results are good, it could open the door to using combination treatments that include niacin and other future therapies from firms like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) indicated for glioblastoma and other cancers of the brain.
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
