An antifungal pill reached brain tumor tissue in a very small first test in people
Original title: A phase 0 clinical trial to evaluate the neuropharmacological profile of posaconazole for 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.
The drug was given to a handful of people just to see where it goes in the body, not to see if it helps.
The short version
A drug normally used for fungal infections got into brain tumor tissue in a tiny early trial, but it was far too small to show if it helps anyone.
What was studied. Doctors gave posaconazole, a pill usually used for fungal infections, to people with new or returning glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. Patients in the treatment group took it by mouth for 7 to 10 days before surgery, and samples of tumor tissue and fluid were checked afterward.
What they found. The trial closed early because too few people joined. Only 2 people took the drug, and three others were in the comparison group. No safety problems from the drug were seen. The drug did not show up in the fluid collected by thin tubes in the brain, but it did build up in the tumor tissue itself. Treated tumors showed early signs of more tumor cell death, and lower levels of a body chemical called pyruvate at the outer edge of the tumor. A blood chemical called lactate in treated patients came back to the same level as the comparison group over 24 h.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This is the first time doctors have shown that this pill, taken by mouth, actually gets into human brain tumor tissue. That matters, because a drug cannot work on a tumor it never reaches. It also caused no drug-related safety problems in the few people who took it. Researchers say this gives a reason to keep studying it.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean posaconazole treats glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. It is not a cure, and it is not a treatment you can ask for. This was a phase 0 trial, the earliest kind of test in people. It only looked at where the drug goes in the body, not at whether anyone lived longer or felt better. Only 2 people took the drug, and the trial stopped early. Findings from that few people can easily be wrong. Much more research is needed before anyone knows if this helps.
Source: PubMed, July 2, 2026 · Read the original
This plain-language summary was written by AI and published automatically after passing our automatic safety checks. How we write.