Brain radiation may have set off an MS flare in one patient
Original title: Multiple sclerosis relapse following gamma knife radiosurgery for meningioma in a patient treated with natalizumab: 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 about one patient, not a tested new treatment.
The short version
In one person, MS flared up months after radiation for a brain tumor.
What was studied. Doctors wrote up the case of one patient with multiple sclerosis, or MS. The MS was steady on a drug called natalizumab. This person had stereotactic radiosurgery: Radiation aimed at a small target, in one visit or a few. There is no cutting, despite the name. See the glossary radiation for a meningioma, a tumor near the back of the brain. Doctors reviewed the charts, brain and spine scans, blood, and spinal fluid.
What they found. Seven months after the radiation, a brain scan showed many new active spots. They were in both halves of the brain. A scan one month later showed even more new spots, and the patient had an MS flare. Doctors checked other possible causes and thought each one was less likely. The patient switched to a drug called ofatumumab and then stayed steady on scans and in the clinic.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you have MS and need brain radiation, your care team may want to watch you closely. A flare may show up many months later, not right away. In this one case, switching MS drugs helped.
What it doesn't mean: This is a report on one patient, so it does not prove radiation causes MS flares. The doctors share it as an idea to study, not a settled fact. It does not mean stereotactic radiosurgery: Radiation aimed at a small target, in one visit or a few. There is no cutting, despite the name. See the glossary is unsafe for people with MS. It does not change standard care, and it is not a cure or a promise of one. Talk with your own doctor before you change any treatment.
Source: PubMed, October 9, 2026 · Read the original
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