BRAIN CANCER

Minesh Mehta, MBChB, talks about the recently FDA-approved Optune used to treat newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The device utilizes alternating electric fields to inhibit tumor cell growth.

Optune (NovoTTF-100A) in combination with adjuvant temozolomide has received FDA approval as a treatment for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme following surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

AstraZeneca’s MedImmune has entered into a licensing agreement and collaboration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, whereby MedImmune was given exclusive rights to Inovio’s INO-3112 immunotherapy.

An independent data safety and monitoring board has recommended continuation of the phase III ACT IV clinical trial of rindopepimut (Rintega) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and president, Society for Neuro-Oncology, discusses rindopepimut (CDX-110), a synthetic peptide vaccine, and its potential in brain cancer based on the results of the ReACT Trial.

Tumor treating fields (TTFields) significantly and consistently prolonged both progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in a randomized, phase III trial of patients with glioblastoma.

Low-dose bevacizumab combined with lomustine has no significant effect on progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) compared with standard-dose bevacizumab alone in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, according to results from a randomized phase II study.

A reanalysis of a phase III clinical trial in glioma patients confirms that there is no difference for a radiotherapy-first versus a chemotherapy-first strategy, but there is a major difference in long-term outcomes for molecular stratification independent of treatment.

Targeted Oncology spoke with David Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, president of the Society for Neuro-Oncology, and lead author on the ReACT trial to better understand the significance of the study results for patients with glioblastoma.

Kurt Jaeckle, MD, professor of neurology and oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses radiosurgery versus radiotherapy followed by whole brain radiation for brain metastases.

Results from a genomic and molecular analysis presented at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting and published in Acta Neuropathology indicate that low-grade gliomas may be classified into three distinct prognostic categories based on genomic data.

An analysis of three interrelated biomarkers in high-risk low-grade glioma has identified distinct risk groups by isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation status and suggested appropriate treatment strategies.

Adding the immunotherapeutic vaccine, rindopepimut to bevacizumab may help boost survival in patients with a genetic subtype of glioblastoma associated with poor outcomes.

Despite their promise, checkpoint inhibitors are not effective in every patient, and research suggests the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway may hold important clues as to why some tumors fail to respond.

Cancer proliferates when a rogue, transformed cell wins a sophisticated hide-and-seek game against the immune system. Immunotherapy activates the patient’s immune system to recognize and fight the tumor cells.

Growth in healthcare spending in the United States continues to outpace growth in European countries that enjoy a similar standard of living.

The FDA has granted rindopepimut (Rintega) a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) that test positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) variant (EGFRvIII).

Representatives Diana DeGette (D, Colorado) and Fred Upton (R, Michigan) recently released a "discussion draft" of the 21st Century Cures Act.

Metastatic disease accounts for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths. Ensuring a definitive diagnosis and the most effective treatment in a timely fashion is essential for extending life expectancy.

Nicholas Butowski, MD, discusses a phase I study of convection-enhanced delivery of nanoliposomal irinotecan (MM-398) for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma.

Jeffrey J. Raizer, MD, provides an overview of a study that analyzed the overall survival and toxicity profile of proton therapy for large-volume re-irradiation for patients with recurrent glioma.

Roeland GW Verhaak, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Quantitative Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a study that examined the alteration of the p53 pathway and ancestral progenitors to determine if they were associated with tumor recurrence in glioblastoma.

A plenary session held November 15 at the Society of Neuro-Oncology’s (SNO) 2014 Annual Meeting in Miami Beach focused on immunotherapy’s promise as well as its challenges as a treatment for patients with brain cancer.