Glioblastoma: testosterone could slow tumor progression in men

By Elodie Vaz | Published on May 19, 2026 | 4 min read    


A study conducted by researchers at Cleveland Clinic offers unexpected insight into the interactions between male hormones and brain cancer. Published on May 6 in the journal Nature, the work shows that androgens, particularly testosterone, could limit the growth of glioblastoma in men, contradicting the long-standing dominant hypothesis that these hormones promote the disease.  

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive form of primary brain tumor in adults. This cancer is associated with a very poor prognosis despite therapeutic advances. It affects men more often than women, an epidemiological observation that has led many researchers to suspect that male hormones play a harmful role in tumor progression.

The authors note that previous studies had not explored the effects of androgens in the specific context of the brain, an organ with a unique immune environment.  

“The brain evolved to prevent external attacks, including the entry of immune cells from other parts of the body. It is a delicate tissue that often does not want major immune reactions,” Justin Lathia, senior author of the study, explained in a press release.  

The role of androgens in the brain environment  

The researchers’ goal was to assess how androgens influence tumor growth within the brain microenvironment. The team studied preclinical models of glioblastoma to determine the biological consequences of a reduction in androgen hormones such as testosterone.  

The scientists focused in particular on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, or HPA, axis, the main neuroendocrine system involved in the stress response. According to their hypothesis, hormonal disruption could alter the brain’s protective immune mechanisms and promote tumor progression.  

When a lack of testosterone promotes the tumor  

In their experiments on mice, the researchers reduced androgen levels in glioblastoma models. They then observed the effects on brain inflammation, hormonal activation and tumor progression.  

The results show that a decrease in androgens triggers hyperactivation of the HPA axis. This response leads to an increase in stress hormones and prompts certain cells to further reinforce the brain’s immune isolation from the rest of the body.  

This “lockdown” intensifies local immunosuppression, reduces immune cell access to the tumor and therefore allows cancer cells to progress almost unchecked. The authors specify that this effect was not observed in female mice receiving testosterone.  

The researchers also identified a possible triggering mechanism: tumor-induced inflammation of the hypothalamus in androgen-deficient animals. They now plan to study how a localized tumor can provoke an inflammatory response in another region of the brain.  

Men on testosterone who live longer  

To compare their preclinical observations with human data, the scientists analyzed information from more than 1,300 men with glioblastoma from the U.S. SEER database — Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results — maintained by the NIH and the National Cancer Institute.  

They found that patients receiving testosterone supplementation for reasons unrelated to cancer had a 38% lower risk of death compared with patients who were not receiving it. Although this association does not prove a causal link, the authors say it strengthens the biological consistency of the results obtained in animals.  

“This result is a pleasant surprise and could potentially pave the way for new treatments for a type of cancer that is more lethal in men,” Anthony Letai emphasized.    

A new avenue for treating brain cancers  

The researchers believe these findings now justify the launch of clinical trials to explore the potential therapeutic role of androgens in glioblastoma.  

They are also questioning the possible consequences of androgen deprivation therapies used in certain cancers, particularly prostate cancer.  

“An obvious follow-up study would be to determine whether androgen deprivation, a common cancer treatment, is actually harmful for glioblastoma,” Justin Lathia suggested. This study therefore opens up a new perspective on the interactions between the endocrine system, brain immunity and oncology. In the long term, it could lead to a rethinking of certain hormonal approaches in neuro-oncology and to better integration of biological differences between men and women in the treatment of brain cancers.     

Read next: High-grade astrocytoma: combining two treatments opens a new therapeutic avenue

About the Author – Elodie Vaz
Health journalist, CFPJ graduate (2023).
Élodie explores the marks diseases leave on bodies and, more broadly, on human life. A registered nurse since 2010, she spent twelve years at patients’ bedsides before exchanging her stethoscope for a notebook. She now investigates the links between environment and health, convinced that the vitality of life cannot be reduced to that of humans.