Drugs that block cancer growth signals have not yet helped people live longer
Original title: Receptor tyrosine kinase targeted therapies in glioblastoma: a systematic review.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This is a review of past studies, not a new treatment you can get.
The short version
A large review found these drugs do not clearly help people with 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 live longer.
What was studied. Researchers gathered 135 studies of people with 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 who took drugs aimed at growth signals on cells. The studies included 9,029 patients and tested 47 different drugs of this kind.
What they found. Only 6 of 135 studies showed a clear gain in how long people lived. Another 15 of 135 studies seemed to help, but the proof was weaker. In 90 of 135 studies, the tumor had already come back. No single drug of this type had steady proof that it helps people live longer.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Right now, these drugs are not a reliable way to live longer with 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. A few studies had hopeful results, so the idea is not dead. Your own care team can tell you if any of these drugs fit your case, often through a trial.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. It is a review that adds up studies already done. It does not mean these drugs fail for everyone, and it does not mean a better one is close. The authors say future trials need better design and better markers before anything is clear. Nothing here changes standard care today.
Source: PubMed, September 17, 2026 · Read the original
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