Evidence item

When the data was analyzed based on the type and location of the tumors, the scientists found that levetiracetam was linked to longer survival in patients with diffuse midline gliomas — high-grade gliomas that originate in the brain stem, thalamus or spinal cord. But patients with hemispheric high-grade gliomas, which began in other parts of the brain, did not survive longer when taking the drug.

In mice with diffuse midline gliomas grafted from human patients, levetiracetam slowed the growth of the malignant cells. However, in mice with hemispheric high-grade gliomas like glioblastoma, the drug did not slow the tumors’ growth.