July 2026

New Possibilities for Glioblastoma

Joseph Corsini, Ph.D. and Julie Alessandra, MTE

Glioblastoma is a type of brain cancer that derives from glial cells in the brain. There are several different types of glial cell, including astrocytes, microglial cells, and oligodendrocytes, all of which provide support for the neurons. Glioblastomas are the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. They are distinguished from other brain tumors by their rapid growth and the presence of necrotic zones in the tumor mass, and they also usually have a non-mutated (wild type) IDH gene, which among brain tumors is associated with a poor prognosis. By the time they become symptomatic and are diagnosed, glioblastomas have already progressed to stage four, leading to very low median and long-term survival rates. Despite the dismal prognosis, there are several complementary therapies that show promise in extending life, and there are a number of very promising experimental personalized immunotherapies in the pipeline.  

Standard of Care: Standard of care (SOC) depends upon surgery and radiation followed by pharmacological interventions based on the molecular profile of the tumor. Tumor-treating fields have been shown to reduce tumor bulk and prolong median survival times so are now also routinely used (Khagi et al 2025). Although glioblastomas exhibit an overall low mutation burden, a variety of mutations occur, and as with many tumor types, the molecular profile of glioblastoma has been characterized to the point that molecular data is now routinely used for diagnosis, prognosis, and personalization of therapy (Villani et al 2023; Lan et al 2024). Some of these mutations, such as those in the promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) and the methylation status of the MGMT gene promoter, have prognostic value, while others, such as GPC-3 and EGFR, are potential targets for immunotherapies. Generally, individuals with methylated MGMT gene promoter receive radiation and temozolomide, while those with a negative MGMT methylation status might be prescribed radiation, lomustine, tumor treating fields (Optune caps), and/or a monoclonal antibody such as bevacizumab (which interferes with blood vessel formation in the growing tumor). The median survival time with standard of care is 12-18 months, without SOC it is 3-6 months.

Complementary and alternative therapies: Several complementary therapies aimed at extending survival for glioma patients, including those with glioblastoma, are under investigation.

Perhaps the best studied of these with glioblastoma is deuterium-depleted water. This is water that has had water molecules with the heavy isotope of hydrogen (called deuterium) removed.  The effects of deuterium-depleted water have been studied in a number of clinical cancer trials, including a recent randomized trial with glioblastoma patients that showed substantial increases in media survival (30-40 months vs 12-14 months for historical controls) of patients receiving deuterium depleted water along with standard radiation and chemotherapy (Somlayi et al 2023; or a review of deuterium depleted water and its application in cancer therapy in general, see Somalyi et al 2025). Deuterium-depleted water has a very high safety profile, with virtually no reported side effects.

Molecular hydrogen administered through both inhalation and ingestion routes is also being examined for its potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for glioma patients. Work in cell culture shows that glioblastoma cell line U87 is inhibited by molecular hydrogen, and that the inhaled form of molecular hydrogen decreases tumor growth of glioblastoma tumors in mice and rats (Liu et al 2019). After surgery and radiation, edema and inflammation are usually issues, so corticosteroids like dexamethasone are commonly prescribed to reduce inflammation and edema in glioma patients. In addition to the anti-tumor effects, a clinical trial has shown that molecular hydrogen inhalation significantly reduces brain edema in a variety of glioma patients (Wu et al 2024). Like deuterium-depleted water, molecular hydrogen has a very high safety profile with virtually no adverse effects.

Essential oils are also being explored both for their anticancer potential (Machado 2022; Mohamed Abdoul-Latif 2023) and for treating the inflammation, pain, and edema (see Garzoli et al 2022); for example, boswellic acid compounds found in frankincense have also been shown to reduce inflammation and edema, probably by suppressing VEGF mediated neo-vascularization (discussed in Zhang et al 2026). While the approaches are promising, the sheer number of essential oils and the complexities of natural plant extracts create a lot of unknowns about which oils to use for symptomatic vs anti-cancer activities - much work is still required to fully characterize their potential.

Another complementary treatment is high dose vitamin C (administered using IV), which has been shown to improve outcomes with a variety of cancers (Liu et al 2025). One case study on a glioblastoma patient reported a four-year survival span (Baillie et al 2018), and other studies have shown that cultured tumor cells are sensitive to high dose vitamin C while normal cells in culture are not (Ryszawy 2019). While mechanisms are not well-understood, there is evidence that the high doses increase T cell function and overall immune response against tumors.

Testosterone supplementation has also been reported to improve long term survival in glioblastoma patients (see figure 1 in Lee et al 2026). This group has also demonstrated that androgen depletion impedes anti-tumor immune responses in animal models (Lathia et al 2024). This observation is tempered by other evidence that testosterone may increase proliferation in cancer cells that express androgen receptors and that androgen antagonists can induce glioblastoma cell death in culture and that androgen receptors are upregulated in at least some glioblastoma cell lines (Quintero et al 2026). In addition, Gan, Zhang, and others have also shown that targeting the androgen receptor with inhibitors like enzalutamide and bicalutamide shows promise in treating glioblastomas (Gan et al 2023; Li et al 2023; Zhang et al 2024; Zhang et al 2026).

There is also some evidence that curcumin and curcumin analogs might have inhibitory effects on glioblastoma cells (Zoi et al 2022; Nowacka et al 2025)). Therapeutic levels of curcumin are difficult to achieve with most supplements, so if considering this option consult with experts who can provide you with liposome-based formulations that deliver high levels to the bloodstream upon ingestion. 

Clinical Trials: There are a number of recent clinical trials studying novel treatments for glioblastoma. The most promising of them are exploring immunotherapies, sometimes in combination with SOC treatments, sometimes as stand-alone therapy after SOC options have been exhausted. The immunotherapy approaches range from engineering autologous chimeric antigen receptor T cells directed at the GPC-3 antigen to tumor neoantigen RNA vaccines delivered with synthetic liposomes to tumor specific priming of dendritic cells with tumor specific RNA or peptides. One trial (NCT06061809) using engineered natural killer cells in combination with the VEGF inhibiting antibody bevacizumab and an engineered interleukin 15 molecule called ANKTIVA  has shown particular success in phase II trial, extending median survival times indefinitely. The third phase of this trial is in the planning stages. Another trial using a vaccine called DCVax-L primes the patient’s own autologous dendritic cells with antigens from the patient's own tumor. Results are promising and this treatment is awaiting FDA approval. It is interesting to note that the checkpoint blockade antibodies have not worked well with glioblastomas, likely because of blood brain barrier issues, and there some trials exploring ways to overcome this issue with IV-delivered monoclonal antibodies. Collectively, these experimental immunotherapeutic approaches are heralding the era of personalized cancer therapy.