Scientists make major brain cancer breakthrough

Health & Fitness
9 Feb 2026 • 3:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Scientists have identified a "hidden vulnerability" in glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, suggesting a specialised diet could slow tumour growth.
  • Groundbreaking research indicates that combining a prescribed diet with steroid anti-inflammatory drugs could significantly impact glioblastoma progression.
  • The study, published in Science Advances, involved an international team including researchers from the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute.
  • It revealed that steroid medications dramatically alter how glioblastoma cells process vitamin B3, creating a metabolic weakness.
  • Exploiting this weakness, reducing the amino acid methionine in a patient’s diet while on steroids effectively starves glioblastoma cells, slowing tumour growth in preclinical models.

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