A once-a-day pill helped some people with returning CNS lymphoma
Original title: Efficacy and safety of tirabrutinib monotherapy for relapsed/refractory primary CNS lymphoma: PROSPECT phase 2 trial.
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.
It was tested in a small, middle-stage trial in people, but it is not approved or standard care.
The short version
A pill called tirabrutinib shrank tumors in many people whose brain lymphoma came back.
What was studied. This trial included 48 adults with primary CNS lymphoma, a cancer of the brain and spine. Their cancer had come back or had kept growing after earlier treatment. Each person took one tirabrutinib pill a day.
What they found. The tumor shrank in 67% of the people. In 44%, all signs of the cancer went away. Side effects linked to the drug happened in 36 patients, or 75%. The most common ones were low red blood cells, rash, and feeling very tired. One person died of a lung infection linked to the drug.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: People with this cancer have few choices once the first treatment stops working. A pill that helps some of them is worth paying attention to. Responses often started within 1.0 month. But most people had side effects, and one death was tied to the drug.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a cure. It was a middle-stage trial in 48 people, with no comparison group. It does not show that people lived longer. This drug is not standard care for this cancer, so your doctor may not be able to offer it. Much more testing is needed first.
Source: PubMed, October 1, 2026 · Read the original
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