Latest News

• Musella Foundation awards two brain tumor research grants!         We awarded two more brain tumor research grants: the first grant is the 3rd year of a special project by Dr Eric Wong which examines the relationship between field strength at the tumor site and outcome.  This can eventually result in better ways to use Tumor Treating Fields, and figure out why it works so good with some people and not others. The second grant is a collaboration between the Musella Foundation and Dragon Master's Foundation for a project by Dr. Seyed Ali Nabavizadeh which looks at better ways of using Pet and MRI scanning to evaluate pediatric brain tumors.  The currently used methods on adults do not translate well to the pediatric tumors, especially those of the brainstem and midline structures. We thank the donors who allowed us to award these important grants. Some of the funding came from our National Walk To End Brain Tumors, and some came from memorial donations, as well as donations to our organization. 
  



• Nivolumab Plus Standard- or Reduced-Dosed Bevacizumab for Recurrent Glioblastoma         They tested Opdivo (Nivolumab) with either the standard dose of  Avastin (Bevacizumab)  or a lower dose of Avastin for recurrent Glioblastoma.  The combinations really did not do that well, but they found that the lower dose of worked just as good as the standard dose. This is important because this is an expensive drug. If we could cut the dose  we not only save money but possibly minimize side effects. Some patients did benefit, but the median patient really did not.  They need to figure out which patients benefit and why, as well as which patients would not benefit and why.  
  



• The 2021 WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary         This is the new classification of brain tumors. It is very confusing and very different. However, it is way more specific. Previously, they changed Glioblastoma Multiforme into 2 groups: Glioblastoma, IDH mutant and Glioblastoma, IDH Wildtype.  Now they changed it so that the only tumor that can be called a Glioblastoma has to be IDH wild type.  If the tumor has an IDH mutation, it is not longer considered a Glioblastoma (or a Glioblastoma, IDH Mutant - which is now removed from the classification scheme.)   This makes sense because the tumors act very differently and you really can not group the two together in a clinical trial and expect it to make any sense at all.  In general, patients with what used to be called Glioblastoma multiforme with an IDH mutation live twice as long as those without the mutation. (31 months with IDH mutations, and 15 months without).    They also changed from using the roman numeral system to arabic numbers. These are much easier to read and less prone to error! So a Glioblastoma is now consider a grade 4 instead of IV. And it has to have wildtype IDH.