A drug used for lung cancer shrank brain tumors in one man with prostate cancer
Original title: Lurbinectedin in treating CNS metastases from small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer-a case report.
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 is a report on one patient, not a study, so we do not yet know if it works for others.
The short version
Doctors report that one man's brain tumors got smaller after he was given a drug called lurbinectedin.
What was studied. This is a report about one patient. He was a 57-year-old man with a fast-growing type of prostate cancer that had spread to his brain. Other treatments had already stopped working, so his doctors tried lurbinectedin.
What they found. Scans showed a strong response in his brain. Some spots went away, and others got smaller. The cancer started growing again after six cycles of the drug.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Lurbinectedin is approved for small cell lung cancer. This report suggests it may be worth studying for this rare kind of prostate cancer when it spreads to the brain. If you are in this situation, it is something you could ask your cancer doctor about.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the drug works for most people. It is a report about one single patient, not a study with many people. There was no comparison group, so we cannot know how much of the change came from the drug. The tumors also came back. This is not a cure, and it is not proof that this drug helps brain tumors in general. The authors say more studies are needed.
Source: PubMed, July 9, 2026 · Read the original
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