There is a pressing need for new effective therapeutic strategies to treat glioblastoma (GBM). Cardiac glycoside compounds consisting of both cardenolides and bufadienolides have been shown to possess potent activity against GBM cell lines and in vivo GBM tumors. In addition, recent research has shown that certain cardiac glycoside compounds contribute to an additive and even synergistic manner with the standard of care GBM treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Finally, the finding that cardiac glycosides may offer a unique role in the control of GBM stem cells offers hope for better therapeutic outcomes in treating this deadly form of brain cancer.

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