Brain tumors got smaller after patients stopped a hormone drug
Original title: Meningioma regression following discontinuation of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate.
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 looked back at 3 real patients, but this was not a treatment trial.
The short version
Three people stopped a hormone shot, and their brain tumors shrank over time.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at 3 patients with meningioma, a type of brain tumor. None had surgery. All had taken a hormone drug called depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, or dMPA, and then stopped it while their tumors were watched.
What they found. Tumors began to shrink as early as 14 months after the patients stopped dMPA. One patient's total tumor burden dropped nearly 39% over 45 months. Another patient's dropped nearly 80% over 68 months, and the third had a 6% drop within 14 months, with 1 skull-base tumor almost gone.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For people with meningioma who take dMPA, stopping the drug may be worth asking about. In these 3 patients, the tumors got smaller without surgery. Only your own doctor can say if this fits your case.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean stopping dMPA shrinks tumors for everyone. It was a look back at just 3 patients, with no comparison group. That is early, weak evidence, and it is far from everyday care. It is not a cure and not a proven treatment. Never stop or change a medicine on your own.
Source: PubMed, September 1, 2026 · Read the original
This plain-language summary was written by AI and published automatically after passing our automatic safety checks. How we write.