MD Anderson Scientists Announce Major Cancer Breakthroughs in Brain Metastasis, Glioblastoma, and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

MD Anderson scientists announce new treatments for brain metastasis and glioblastoma, plus new markers for prostate and triple-negative breast cancer.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 2:59 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Extending Survival in High Risk Breast Cancer Metastasis

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In a Phase II study published in Nature Cancer, MD Anderson researchers have identified a promising new treatment regimen for patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) originating from HER2+ breast cancer. Historically, patients with this form of advanced spread have faced a median overall survival of just 4.4 months. However, a combination of the targeted therapies tucatinib and trastuzumab, paired with the chemotherapy drug capecitabine, has extended that median survival to 10 months. According to lead author Dr. Rashmi Murthy, 41% of patients remained alive at the 18-month mark, representing a significant clinical step forward for a patient population with few existing options.

A Dual Action Immunotherapy Strategy for Glioblastoma

A collaborative effort between radiation oncology and neurosurgery has uncovered a "one-two punch" method to sensitize glioblastoma (GBM) tumors to immune attacks. By simultaneously blocking two specific "don’t eat me signals" found on cancer cells, researchers were able to strip away the "invisibility cloak" that typically hides these tumors from the immune system. This dual-targeting approach, co-led by Dr. Wen Jiang and Dr. Betty Kim, allows T cells to better recognize tumor antigens and enhances the overall effectiveness of immunotherapy in glioblastoma models.

Hormonal Markers for Prostate Cancer Monitoring