BRAIN CANCER

Arie Perry, MD, chief of neuropathology at UCSF in San Francisco, California, discusses what oncologists should be aware of when diagnosing patients after these reclassifications, how it could change pathology, as well as a discussion on hereditary tumors.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Howard Fine discusses the reason for renewed interested in metabolic targets, the effect it has had on treatment of gliomas, and what he sees on the horizon for neuro-oncology in this area.<br /> &nbsp;

Evanthia Galanis, MD, professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses how to best optimize clinical trial design in brain cancer and other cancer types.

Treatment with onartuzumab did not provide any additional clinical benefit when added to bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), according to a study recently published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>.

Howard Fine, MD, director, Brain Tumor Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the history of metabolic targets in brain cancer.

Researchers are currently investigating the use of tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor entrectinib (RXDX-101) to treat patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors or primary tumors of the central nervous system.

David A. Reardon, MD, clinical director, center for neuro-oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the inadequacy of the current standard of care in glioblastoma (GBM).

Based on encouraging efficacy signals and safety data from separate trials exploring the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab (MEDI4736), there is a role for checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The antibody drug conjugate ABT-414 has shown promising results for the treatment of patients with EGFR-amplified, recurrent glioblastoma (GBM).

Findings from a recent phase II study&nbsp;showed the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab generated durable responses in bevacizumab-na&iuml;ve patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Researchers are hoping that a proposed phase II study exploring use of the Optune system in patients with recurrent grade III malignant glioma will expand the indications for the tumor treating fields device.

The PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab was successfully combined with radiotherapy alone or concurrently with temozolomide for patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme in cohorts 1c and 1d from the phase I CheckMate-143 study.&nbsp;

The IDH1 inhibitor AG-120 showed promising stable disease rates along with a few minor responses for patients with non-enhancing&nbsp;<em>IDH1</em>-mutated glioma across a variety of doses.&nbsp;

Results from the EF-14 trial which compared standard of care for glioblastoma plus or minus the tumor treating fields.&nbsp;

Treatment with the combination of Optune and temozolomide improved overall survival by 4.8 months compared with temozolomide alone in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

Treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor elicited a durable clinical benefit rate of 28% along with a manageable safety profile for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme that expressed PD-L1 on &ge;1% of cells.

Treatment with the novel regimen of Toca 511 and Toca FC demonstrated a median overall survival of 13.6 months for patients with high-grade gliomas, representing a marked improvement over historical median survivals of 7.2 to 9.2 months.<br /> &nbsp;

An early study has demonstrated signs of clinical efficacy for the combination of the anti-inflammatory agent ibudilast and temozolomide in patient-derived cell lines for glioblastoma multiforme.<br /> &nbsp;

Martin van den Bent, MD, Erasmus MC Cancer Center, discusses the results from the ABT-414 trial for patients with brain cancer.&nbsp;

Patients with low-risk meningioma had a 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) that modestly exceeded expectations after gross total resection followed by observation, results of a cooperative group trial showed.

A move by CVS Health to place in-house physician dispensaries out-of-network for purposes of Medicare Part D drug payment would force hundreds of thousands of cancer patients across the country to find alternate sources for their oral oncolytic drugs, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) argued in a new white paper.

Rimas Lukas, MD, discusses the next steps in glioblastoma research, as well as the potential use of IDO inhibitors in the treatment of GBM, and recent studies showing promise in the field.

Optune, a noninvasive device that delivers tumor-treating fields to the brain, provides oncologists, specifically those who treat glioblastoma multiforme, an opportunity to apply technology as part of their standard treatment regimen.