Niacin shows 82% progression-free in glioblastoma trial — SkimNews
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- University of Calgary researchers are running a combined Phase I/II trial giving controlled-release high-dose niacin alongside standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy to newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients, aiming to enroll 48 participants with final analysis by end of 2026 or early 2027
- The trial is led by oncologist Gloria Roldan Urgoiti and neuroscientist Wee Yong, both members of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, and stems from mouse studies showing niacin rejuvenated immune cells suppressed by the tumor
- Among 24 patients enrolled so far, 82% remained progression-free at six months — a 28% improvement over historical data, surpassing the 20% threshold the team had set in advance to justify continuing the study
- Roldan Urgoiti noted that glioblastoma survival has not significantly changed in 20 years, framing the early signal as worth pursuing despite the small sample size and the cancer remaining incurable
- Yong described the mechanism as an ongoing 'battle for the brain,' with niacin restoring immune cells so they can attack tumor cells rather than the cancer continuing to suppress them unchecked
- Researchers warned that high-dose niacin is not risk-free despite being a common vitamin — large amounts can be toxic and the trial's doses are being carefully controlled and monitored by medical professionals
- Results were published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology, with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Alberta Cancer Foundation
Why it matters: Glioblastoma survival has been essentially flat for two decades, and 82% of patients progression-free at six months in a 24-person trial is the first meaningful signal in that span — but it remains preliminary, the dose used is pharmaceutical-strength and medically supervised, and the final analysis on 48 patients isn't expected until late 2026 or early 2027.
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