A blood cell count during treatment was linked to longer survival
Original title: Monocytic resilience during chemoradiotherapy is independently associated with survival in IDH-Wildtype glioblastoma.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was seen in old patient records, not tested as a treatment.
The short version
People who kept more of one kind of white blood cell lived longer.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at records of 127 adults with glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. All had radiation plus a drug called temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary. Their blood was checked before and after that treatment for a white blood cell called a monocyte.
What they found. 115 patients had full blood and survival records. Among them, 52 lost monocytes during treatment and 63 kept them. Typical survival was 10.2 months in the group that lost them, and 17.3 months in the group that kept them.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A blood test doctors already order may give a clue about how someone is doing. It adds no extra cost or needle stick. For now it does not change the treatment a patient gets.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean monocytes keep people alive. The study only looked back at old records, so it cannot show cause. The authors say it must be tested in new studies before it is used in care. It is not a treatment, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, October 13, 2026 · Read the original
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