‘Olive oil drug’ may help treat deadly brain tumor glioblastoma

Health

By Adriana Diaz

Doctors are hoping an “olive oil drug” can treat a deadly brain cancer, since the results of an early trial show promise for glioblastoma patients.

A fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor, glioblastoma is diagnosed in more than 12,000 Americans each year. The average length of survival is only eight months.

There is no cure, but idroxioleic acid, or 2-OHOA, a novel drug derived from oleic acid — the key fatty acid in olive oil — will be tested on newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in an upcoming study in London.

The medication alters the walls of tumor cells to stop the cancer from growing or spreading.

“Glioblastomas are notoriously difficult to treat, so any research that paves the way for better treatments of people facing this diagnosis is an important milestone,” Dr. Michele Afif, CEO of the Brain Tumour Charity, told the Telegraph this week.

“We welcome Phase 3 clinical trials for those with this devastating disease as there have been so few new treatments in recent years,” Afif added.

Results from an initial trial, published in the British Journal of Cancer last year, found that about a quarter of the 54 participants responded positively — with one living for more than three years — to the oral medication when it was mixed with water three times a day.

Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea were the most commonly reported side effects.

A UK cancer research center is now recruiting more than 200 patients for a Phase 3 trial.

A 42-year-old trial participant who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in March 2023 praised 2-OHOA.

“I feel fine and can still do things I love,” Michele Treen, of Crawley, England, said in a statement. “For example, I spent the summer traveling across Europe with my husband and 11-year-old daughter in a motorhome. From mountain biking in Andorra to exploring Venice’s canals, I did things I’ll never forget with the people I love most.”