Blood type O and longer survival in one kind of brain tumor
Original title: Prognostic impact of blood group O in MGMT-methylated glioblastoma patients receiving radiochemotherapy with temozolomide and lomustine.
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 past patient records, and this is not a treatment.
The short version
In this small study, people with blood type O lived longer.
What was studied. Sixty-one adults with a brain tumor called glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary were studied. All had the same tumor markers and got the same mix of radiation and two chemo drugs.
What they found. 24 of the people had blood type O, and 37 did not. The type O group typically lived 42.1 months. The other group typically lived 23.7 months.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Blood type may be one clue about how this tumor behaves over time. Your blood type is not something you can change. Doctors cannot use this to pick a treatment for you today.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean blood type O protects you. It was a look back at old records from one hospital, with a small number of people. That kind of study can show a link, but it cannot show a cause. This is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, September 24, 2026 · Read the original
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