A pill called anlotinib in brain cancer that came back
Original title: A real-world feasibility and safety study of anlotinib monotherapy in heavily pretreated or temozolomide-ineligible recurrent malignant glioma.
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.
Doctors only looked back at records of 18 patients, so it is not proven yet.
The short version
A small study looked at a pill for brain tumors that grew back after other treatments stopped working.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at 18 patients whose brain cancer came back. They had run out of options or could not handle more chemo or radiation. Each took a pill called anlotinib, 12 mg a day.
What they found. Tumors got smaller in 7 of 18 patients. In 16 of 18, the tumor shrank or stopped growing for a time. Most side effects were mild, 3 patients needed a lower dose, and no one died from the drug.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For people with few choices left, this pill may hold the tumor back for a while. It is taken by mouth at home. Side effects were mostly mild and could be handled.
What it doesn't mean: This does not prove the pill works. Doctors only looked back at 18 patient records. This was not a planned trial. Patients were followed for a short time, so we do not know if anyone lived longer. It is not a cure and it is not standard care. Bigger, planned studies are needed first.
Source: PubMed, August 27, 2026 · Read the original
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