This Plant-Based Compound Could Be a Powerful New Weapon Against Deadly Brain Cancer

Glioblastoma is the deadliest form of brain cancer. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma have a median survival time of 15 to 18 months, and standard treatments have remained largely unchanged for two decades: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. A recent study, however, claims to have discovered a potential new therapy with a unique approach. Researchers in Los Angeles have developed a way to force glioblastoma cells into a harmless, non-dividing state by combining radiation therapy with forskolin, a natural product derived from a plant related to mint. As detailed in a study published February 26 in the journal PNAS, laboratory mice with glioblastoma lived longer after being treated with the novel approach, paving the way for a potential future treatment. Glioblastoma is aggressive because its cancer cells divide uncontrollably and can resist treatment or recur after therapy. Additionally, the blood-brain barrier—a semipermeable membrane that separates blood from cerebrospinal flu ... Read full article.