Study Suggests Testosterone Slows Glioblastoma Progression in Men

New research funded by the NIH has uncovered a link between androgens in men and brain tumors. The preclinical study found that men with low levels of testosterone tended to have shorter survival times when diagnosed with glioblastoma when compared to those that had higher levels of this male sex hormone. 

Glioblastoma is the deadliest form of brain cancer and kills most of its victims in a matter of months. This new study opens the possibility that men with lower testosterone levels tend to have their GBM tumors growing at a faster pace than similar tumors in men with higher levels of testosterone. The researchers suggest that reduced levels of this hormone weaken the immune system within the brain and allows the cancer to grow rapidly. 

The Cleveland Clinic team’s findings cast major doubt about the long-standing assumption that testosterone plays a big role in the higher incidence of GBM among men. 

The preclinical study used mouse models to investigate how testosterone levels impact glioblastoma progression in males. They found that the mice whose testosterone was reduced tended to have tumors that grew a lot faster when compared to mice that had normal testosterone levels. 

To test their findings further, the researchers obtained data from the SEER database of the NIH and analyzed the testosterone levels of men undergoing glioblastoma treatment. They found that those who were receiving testosterone treatments for other conditions while also being treated for glioblastoma tended to have better outcomes when compared to those whose testosterone was low and weren’t getting supplemental testosterone. 

This insight strongly suggests that the androgen plays a yet-to-be-understood role in brain cancer progression. The study found that when testosterone levels were lowered in male mice, the brain responded by triggering more inflammation and stress hormones within the brain. 

Such an environment tended to suppress the immune system and created favorable conditions for brain tumors to grow more aggressively. This is because a suppressed immune system is less able to attack tumors and destroy their cells, hence the accelerated glioblastoma progression. 

Surprisingly, similar tests conducted to lower androgens in female mice didn’t trigger an uptick in glioblastoma progression. This suggests that testosterone plays a unique role within the male brain and how the immune system functions inside the brain. This insight warrants further study so that the specific mechanisms through which this happens can be understood. 

The researchers emphasize that their findings shouldn’t be taken to mean that increasing testosterone levels improves survival times in men with GBM. Further research will be needed to clarify the exact role that testosterone plays in triggering that 38% less likelihood of death among men with glioblastoma. 

This study opens an interesting angle of consideration for various firms like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) that are working to develop the next generation of brain cancer medicines for both adults and children. 

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