BRAIN CANCER

The FDA has granted a genetically modified version of the poliovirus known as PVS-RIPO a breakthrough therapy designation as a potential therapy for patients with advanced glioblastoma multiforme.

Despite the letdown of prior research, the future looks bright for immunotherapies and novel targeted approaches for patients with gliomas, many of which have already been developed for other types of cancer.

The combination of rindopepimut plus temozolomide did not improve overall survival (OS) when compared with temozolomide plus a control in patients with newly diagnosed EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

A new treatment delivery method is being explored that combines real-time imaging with convection-enhanced delivery of chemotherapy for patients with high-grade gliomas, according to the lead investigator of early phase research exploring the approach, Nicholas A. Butowski, MD.

Preclinical research conducted on tumor samples and mouse models showed that FGL2 is secreted by glioblastoma, which causes the upregulation of immune suppression mechanisms. Additionally, in these early studies, an anti

David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the future of immunotherapy in glioblastoma and how rindopepimut fits into that paradigm.

Mark Gilbert, MD, neuro-oncologist, chief of neuro-oncology, National Institute of Health, discusses predicting how a patient's brain tumor might act and respond to treatment based on their genetics.

The understanding that medulloblastoma is comprised of 4 distinct molecular subtypes of disease, each representing a unique opportunity for new drug development, has set the groundwork for a wave of advances in the treatment of pediatric brain cancer, according to Matthias A. Karajannis, MD.

Maciej Michal Mrugala MD, PhD, MPH, chief of the Division of Neuro-Oncology, University of Washington

Michael Lim, MD, director of Brain Tumor Immunotherapy, associate professor of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses checkpoint inhibitors in glioblastoma.

Targeted Oncology spoke with Andrew S. Chi, MD, PhD, head of Neuro-Oncology at NYU Langone's Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, on recent developments in the treatment paradigm for patients with brain cancer, including his recent study into mutant IDH1 gliomas and the role of the NAD metabolite.

Nicholas A. Butowski, MD, director, Translational Research in Neuro-Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, discusses the eligibility of patients with glioblastoma to receive a convection-enhanced delivery of nanoliposomal irinotecan with real-time imaging.

​Rimas Lukas, MD, director, Medical Neuro-Oncology, co-director, Neurology Medical Student Clerkship Program, The University of Chicago Medical Center, discusses the next steps following a phase I study looking at atezolizumab in glioblastoma.

Single-dose fosaprepitant dimeglumine (Emend for injection) in combination with antiemetic agents has been approved by the FDA for the preventing

Heimberger says the treatment paradigm's future is two-pronged, in that it will consist of both combination therapies that activate the immune system and prevent immunosuppression, as well as understand CT and MRI scans of brain cancer patients.

David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses identifying certain characteristics in a patient's brain tumor in order to administer better treatment.

Susan Panullo, MD, director, Neuro-oncology, director, Neurosurgical Radiosurgery, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, discusses the improvement in quality of life in patients with glioblastoma treated with Optune (NovoTTF-100A).

In a new study, researchers investigated the roles of Dicer in replication-associated DNA damage during development. The team chose a model of the developing cerebellum for the study.

Neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health are making headway in a study of minimally invasive laser treatment of brain tumors focused on improving quality of life for patients who have been diagnosed with glioblastoma.

Building on previous work showing increased NF-kB activity in lung cancers, one research team has recently published a study showing this activity is also enhanced in glioblastoma, one of the most lethal forms of human cancers.

Rindopepimut is the first immunotherapy to have ever shown a survival benefit in brain cancers, specifically glioblastoma, said David Reardon, MD.

Developing safe and effective therapies for malignant brain tumors, specifically glioblastoma, is a challenging-yet-achieveable endeavor pursued by researchers and patients alike.

Optune in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or bevacizumab boosted survival rates in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Rimas Lukas, MD, director, Medical Neuro-Oncology, co-director, Neurology Medical Student Clerkship Program, The University of Chicago Medical Center, on PD-L1 blockade treatment and its potential in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM).

David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on the need to identify glioblastoma (GBM) patients with the EGFRvIII mutation in their tumor.