Chinese team finds blood pressure medication shows promise for treating rare brain tumour

Scientists in China say cheap compound might offer relief for craniopharyngioma patients and inform future work on cancer treatments

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Craniopharyngioma, shown here in the brain of a mouse, can cause symptoms including obesity, diabetes, visual effects and decreased hormone secretion in humans affected by the tumour. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology

Published: 4:00pm, 2 Jan 2025

Chinese researchers have found that treatment for an invasive, noncancerous brain tumour that causes complications including diabetes could lie in a cheap medication often prescribed for high blood pressure.

Using animal models that recreate human craniopharyngioma – a rare slow-growing tumour that affects the hypothalamus or pituitary gland – the team was able to investigate its growth and potential treatment options. They shared their findings in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine last month.

“Our research provides important ideas for the development of cancer drugs,” said study lead Wu Qingfeng, a principal investigator at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology.

According to Wu, the study could inform future work on identifying cell origins and gene mutations, the construction of animal models, high-throughput drug screening to identify potential treatments and the use of reverse translational research to study the mechanism of tumour growth.

Craniopharyngioma patients can have a wide range of symptoms, including morbid obesity, diabetes, visual effects and decreased hormone secretion, either due to the growth of the tumour or as a result of treatment.

Surgical removal is the primary treatment for the brain tumour, however it can come at a risk of complications and recurrence. This has made the tumour a challenge not only for neurosurgeons, but also endocrinologists.