CLEVELAND, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than 12,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2016. These are the deadliest of all brain tumors. If the tumor comes back after chemo and radiation, patients have very few options and are typically given just a few months to live. Now there’s new hope on the horizon.
Collecting stamps is a passion for Francois. His hobby has taught him that the rare finds are often the most valuable.
Francois is a rarity himself. He’s living with an aggressive type of brain tumor and has been for almost four years. When his tumor came back after surgery, radiation and chemo, Francois enrolled in a clinical trial.
Francois told Ivanhoe, “I said, let’s do it! Let’s go.”
Michael Vogelbaum, MD, PhD, a neurosurgeon at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, said, “In general, these are patients that are looking at a survival of months, not years.”
The phase one study involves injecting a virus directly into a patient’s brain.
“What this does is it infects the cell and turns it into a factory to create more virus. That then spreads within the tumor,” explained Dr. Vogelbaum.
The virus helps deliver a gene to the cells. Patients are given an oral anti-fungal drug and the therapies all work together to activate the immune system, causing it to recognize and kill cancer cells.
“Now, we’re starting to see some early signs of success,” Dr. Vogelbaum told Ivanhoe.
Researchers studied 43 patients. Overall survival increased to 13.6 months compared to 7.1 months for those in a control group. About 40 percent of participants who received higher doses of the treatment were still living after two years.
Francois had the therapy almost three years ago and he’s beating the odds every day.
He said,“I thought I was Superman, and I am Superman. I made it!”
The virus and gene used in this trial haven’t been used in humans before. This approach is different from past studies that have used common viruses, such as the cold virus or polio, which can cause an aggressive immune response in the body. The researchers are now enrolling patients in the next phase of the study.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Supervising Producer; Julie Marks, Field Producer; Milvionne Chery, Assistant Producer; Tony D’Astoli, Editor.
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: New Hope for Brain Cancer
REPORT: MB #4138
BACKGROUND: Glioblastomas are aggressive tumors that arise from astrocytes, star-shaped cells that make up the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are typically malignant since they are supported by a network of blood vessels and reproduce cells quickly. Glioblastomas may be found in the brain or spinal cord, most commonly in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Glioblastomas contain a mixture of cell types, and originate from normal brain cells, making it easy for them to invade the brain tissue and grow rapidly. The most common symptoms are caused by an increased pressure in the brain and include headache, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Depending on the location of the tumor, patients may also develop weakness on one side of the body, memory or speech difficulties and visual changes. Glioblastomas represent 15.4 percent of all primary brain tumors and about 60-70 percent of all astrocytomas. The median survival rate of glioblastoma is 14.6 months. 10 percent of adults and 25 percent of children with glioblastomas may live five years or longer.
(Source: http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-information/types-of-tumors/glioblastoma.html)
TREATMENT: Glioblastoma can be difficult to treat because the tumors contain so many different types of cells. Some cells may respond to certain therapies, yet the rest may not be affected at all. Due to this, the treatment plan often combines several different approaches. The first order of action is typically to relieve the pressure from the brain. Most patients will undergo brain surgery so that doctors may remove as much of the tumor as safely possible. The tumors are difficult to remove completely, however, due to their structure. If the glioblastoma is in an area of the brain controlling important functions, it will be even more difficult to extract. Radiation and chemotherapy may also be used to slow the growth of tumors than cannot be removed with surgery. Other treatments could include steroids, stereotactic radiosurgery, proton therapy, or alternative medicine. Many new treatments for these aggressive tumors are available via clinical trials.
(Source: http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-treatment/treatments/)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Doctors at UCLA, Cleveland Clinic, and University of California San Diego School of Medicine have successfully demonstrated that a modified virus can extend the lives of patients with this glioblastoma. Published on June 1 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, authors of the recent study found that of the 43 participants who were given the investigational treatment, overall survival increased to 13.6 months compared to 7.1 months, and for some patients, survival lasted for more than two years with few side effects. Using the virus to deliver a therapeutic gene appears to activate the immune system against the cancer cells, while sparing healthy cells. The modified virus, known as a RRV, shows promise in the development of innovative new therapies for many types of cancer including brain cancer.
(Source: http://cancer.ucla.edu/Home/Components/News/News/932/1631)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Andrea Pacetta
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
