A novel targeted therapy drug, vorasidenib, has been shown to more than double the progression-free survival in patients with a subtype of glioma, according to an international study co-led by UCLA.
SurVaxM works by training the immune system to target and attack the cancer cells, so if they do return, the body can pick them off, preventing a new tumor from growing, said Michael Ciesielski, the CEO of MimiVax. The approach is “promising,” Cui said. “This could bring hope to people who are impacted by GBM.”
A targeted therapy drug called vorasidenib had positive results in delaying progression of a specific form of glioma, a slow-growing but deadly brain cancer.
Columbia researchers led a clinical trial of selinexor, the first of a new class of anti-cancer drugs, which was able to shrink tumors in almost a third of patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The results of the international phase 2 trial were published in the January 10, 2022, issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
The vaccine is called SurVaxM, made by New York-based MimiVax. Glioblastoma is aggressive and grows fast, so SurVaxM stimulates the immune system to attack survivin, a cancer molecule present in all glioblastomas that is vital to their survival.
Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can help slow the tumor's growth, but the disease remains incurable.
Higgins and a team of researchers at Columbia University have found that glioblastoma tumor cells are particularly sensitive to ferroptosis – a type of cell death that can be triggered by removing certain amino acids from the diet.
These trials revealed a low objective response rate to lomustine in the range of 10% and a median progression-free survival that does not exceed 2 months.
What's the treatment for GBM? The standard of treatment for a GBM is surgery, followed by daily radiation and oral chemotherapy for six and a half weeks, then a six-month regimen of oral chemotherapy given five days a month.
Although the average life expectancy after a diagnosis with glioblastoma is between 14 and 16 months, patients with certain tumor genetics have a median survival time of 22 and 31 months. The longest glioblastoma survivor has lived for more than 20 years after diagnosis.
Glioblastoma is a virtually incurable brain cancer with a five-year-survival rate of only 10%. Jana Portnow, M.D. from the major advances we've seen over the last 20 years to treat other cancers. There's no effective targeted agent or immunotherapy for glioblastoma.
Large-scale clinical trials have shown that TMZ, when given alongside radiotherapy, improves average survival for people with high grade brain tumours, compared to those who only have radiotherapy. As a result, it's the main chemotherapy drug used globally for the treatment of glioblastoma.
As a top-ranked cancer hospital, MD Anderson also is home to one of the world's largest collections of glioblastoma clinical trials designed to improve outcomes for patients.
Surgery and Local Chemotherapy
Surgery is an essential part of glioblastoma treatment. Surgical removal (resection) of a glioblastoma tumor can relieve symptoms, extend life, and decrease the need for corticosteroids to reduce brain swelling.
The use of immunotherapy for GBM is therefore not a dead end. According to us, combination strategies targeting different arms of the cancer immunity cycle have great potential to overcome GBM multifactorial immunosuppression and increase antitumor immune response.
If surgery isn't an option due to your health or the tumor location, radiation and chemotherapy can control the tumor. GBM treatments include: Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses S-rays to damage cancer cells so they can't grow. You may need as many as 30 daily radiation treatments over six weeks.
Lomustine is a chemotherapy drug that binds or alkylates DNA and prevents replicating cells from surviving. The drug is metabolized by the liver. Lomustine will cause a reduction in the white blood cells, typically about 7 days after the medication is given.
Nausea and vomiting often occur with lomustine, but usually last less than 24 hours. Loss of appetite may last for several days. This medicine is best taken on an empty stomach at bedtime, so it will cause less stomach upset. Ask your doctor for other ways to lessen these side effects.
Glioblastoma Utilizes Fatty Acids and Ketone Bodies for Growth Allowing Progression during Ketogenic Diet Therapy - PMC.
This is due to a combination of factors, including the cancer itself, the medications that are often prescribed to treat various symptoms associated with the dying process, and the psychological stress of coping with the matter at hand. A decline in the ability to respond to one's environment.
Ketogenic therapy is a non-toxic nutritional approach, viewed as complementary or alternative, that uses a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet to manage a range of cancers, including glioblastoma.
In most cases, the exact underlying cause of glioblastoma multiforme is unknown. In rare cases, it can occur in people with certain genetic syndromes, such as neurofibromatosis type 1, Turcot syndrome and Li Fraumeni syndrome.
“The thing that is deadly about this disease is that it diffusely invades the brain. Unlike tumors elsewhere in the body, you can't cut it all out,” said Ryan Miller, M.D., Ph. D., a neuropathologist and an associate professor at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Food sources are beneficial for brain tumor patients.
Foods containing antioxidants. Antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and apples have been shown to prevent cancer and reduce the recurrence rate of tumors such as brain tumors.