BRAIN CANCER

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 showed the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab generated durable responses in bevacizumab-naïve 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. 

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.

Anita Mahajan, MD, professor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a recent study into the role of stereotactic radiosurgery in treating brain metastases.

For patients who are likely to experience contiguous recurrence of glioblastoma, a new computer simulation using tumor treating fields (TTF) and employing a personalized transducer array, delivered electric field (EF) intensities that exceeded therapeutic intensities in 3 different tumor locations.

Mark Kieran, MD, PhD, director, Pediatric Medical Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the results of a study that evaluated dabrafenib as a treatment for pediatric patients with BRAF V600-mutant relapsed or refractory low-grade gliomas during an interview at the 2016 ESMO Congress.

Goals of &quot;Project Impact: A Campaign to Defeat Pediatric Brain Tumors&quot;&nbsp;include improving clinical outcomes for pediatric brain tumor patients and informing the development of the first-ever standard of care for treating pediatric high-grade gliomas.

As therapeutic approaches with more efficacy and less toxicity are still highly needed, researchers are currently working to identify new targets in the MB field.

Despite some surgical advancements in recurrent glioblastoma, significant progress and a move toward a more personalized approach is still needed, said Jennifer Moliterno Gunel, MD.

Erica Bell, PhD, assistant professor, radiation oncology, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the status of biomarker research in low-grade gliomas.

A therapy that provides an impressive and durable benefit has been mostly out of reach in the primary brain cancer space, particularly for glioblastoma.

The management of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain cancer in children, has not changed in decades but breakthroughs are on the horizon.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has issued an updated recommendation for Optune for use in combination with temozolomide as standard treatment for patients with newly diagnosed glibolastoma multiforme.

Rose K. Lai, MD, clinical associate professor of Neurology, University of Southern California, discusses the many risk factors that can be associated with glioma.