The Antipsychotic Drug Chlorpromazine Found to Help with Brain Cancer Treatments
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 18, 2026 2 hours, 9 minutes ago
Medical News: Forgotten Psychiatric Drug Shows Unexpected Power
In a surprising scientific breakthrough, researchers in Italy have discovered that chlorpromazine, a psychiatric drug used since the 1950s, may help the immune system fight glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer. The study was conducted by scientists from the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, and Sapienza University of Rome. Their findings reveal that this well-known mental health drug can activate hidden immune defenses that glioblastoma tumors normally suppress, opening the door to entirely new treatment possibilities using an already approved medication.
Scientists discover a decades-old psychiatric drug can reactivate immune defenses against deadly
glioblastoma brain tumors
How Brain Tumors Hide from the Immune System
Glioblastoma is extremely dangerous because it can effectively “hide” from the immune system. Normally, the immune system detects abnormal cells and destroys them. However, glioblastoma creates a protective environment that blocks immune detection and allows cancer cells to grow rapidly and spread deeper into brain tissue. This
Medical News report highlights how the researchers focused on a specific immune defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway, which functions as a cellular alarm system. When activated, this pathway alerts the immune system that abnormal DNA is present, triggering a defensive response. Unfortunately, glioblastoma often disables this alarm system, allowing tumors to grow undetected.
Chlorpromazine Reactivates Critical Immune Alarm
The study showed that chlorpromazine can reactivate this suppressed immune pathway. Laboratory experiments using glioblastoma cells demonstrated that the drug triggered strong activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. This activation led to increased production of interferons and other immune signaling molecules. Interferons play a vital role by warning nearby immune cells and helping them recognize cancer as a threat.
Researchers also observed increased activity in key immune genes responsible for inflammation and immune cell recruitment. These changes indicate that chlorpromazine not only activates internal defenses but also helps attract immune cells directly to the tumor site. This transformation makes previously invisible tumor cells easier targets for immune destruction.
Tumor Environment Becomes More Vulnerable
Another major finding was how chlorpromazine altered the tumor microenvironment. Glioblastoma normally creates conditions that suppress immune responses and protect tumor survival. After exposure to chlorpromazine, tumor cells began expressing higher levels of molecules that improve immune recognition.
The drug also caused cellular stress within cancer cells, disrupting their normal functions and slowing their growth. Researchers observed increased signs of immune-related inflammation, which is often necessary to initiat
e tumor destruction. These combined effects suggest that chlorpromazine helps convert tumors from an “immune-silent” state into one where the immune system can actively attack cancer cells.
Faster Path to Clinical Use Because Drug Is Already Approved
One of the most important advantages of this discovery is that chlorpromazine is already widely used in medicine. Its safety profile, side effects, and dosing are well understood. This could significantly shorten the time needed to begin clinical trials for glioblastoma treatment compared to developing entirely new drugs.
Scientists also believe chlorpromazine could be combined with other cancer treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or modern immunotherapies. By reactivating immune detection, chlorpromazine may enhance the effectiveness of these existing treatments and improve patient survival outcomes.
Conclusion
This groundbreaking study demonstrates that chlorpromazine has the ability to restore immune detection mechanisms that glioblastoma tumors normally suppress. By activating the cGAS-STING pathway, increasing immune signaling, and weakening tumor defenses, the drug shows strong potential as a repurposed cancer therapy. Because it is already approved and well-studied, chlorpromazine may reach clinical trials faster than new experimental drugs. If future human studies confirm these results, this decades-old psychiatric medication could become an important new weapon against one of the deadliest and treatment-resistant brain cancers.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Frontiers in Immunology.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1743232/full
For the latest on glioblastoma and other brain cancer, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
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