Latest News

• Breakthrough clinical trial confirms that GammaTile delivers superior tumor control compared to standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed operable brain metastases        

  GT Medical Technologies announced interim results from its Phase 3 trial investigating the use of GammaTiles in patients with newly diagnosed operable brain metastases. GammaTiles are small, bioabsorbable collagen tiles with embedded radiation seeds that can be placed along the walls of the surgical cavity after tumor removal. They immediately begin delivering a low, targeted dose of radiation to the surrounding tissue. 

  So far, the trial has shown that GammaTiles reduced the risk of tumor recurrence or death by 50% compared to standard of care (surgery followed by stereotactic radiosurgery [SRS] after recovery). Importantly, the rate of side effects was low and comparable in both groups. The interim results are based on 168 of the 230 patients enrolled in the trial, but we hope to see similar results as complete data from all enrolled participants matures. GammaTile is already FDA cleared for use in newly diagnosed and recurrent malignant brain tumors.

  
  
• Share Your Experiences With Glioblastoma (GBM)        

  PinPoint Patient Recruiting, a market research recruitment company, is searching for people who have been diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), or their care partner, to participate in an online survey about their experiences.

  If you or your loved one is over the age of 22, a resident of the US and is pursuing treatment, you may be eligible to participate. Those who qualify to participate in the study will receive $75 as a thank you. All information and responses will remain confidential. 

  Interested?
  To see if you qualify for the study or to get more information, please visit www.pinpointpatientrecruiting.com/gbm-survey-al or contact Kim Slusher at kim@pinpointpatientrecruiting.com.

  
  
• Sonodynamic Therapy Using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Malignant Gliomas: A Review        

  This new paper gives a nice in-depth review of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) using 5-ALA, the same compound many surgeons already use for fluorescence-guided surgery. In SDT, the 5-ALA builds up in tumor cells and, when activated by low-intensity focused ultrasound, triggers the release of reactive oxygen species that kill cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. 

  The review summarizes the strong preclinical data behind SDT therapy and details all of the human trials that have started so far, some of which have faced funding challenges. Because 5-ALA already has an excellent safety record and because many large medical centers already have focused ultrasound machines, this treatment has great potential for clinical adoption. That said, the approach is still experimental and the human studies so far are still working out important technical details, such as ultrasound dosing and timing. 

  
  
• Banner MD Anderson begins Phase II study on unique glioblastoma immunotherapy        

  Multiple sites across several states are now enrolling patients for a Phase II trial testing a personalized dendritic cell therapy for glioblastoma (GBM). This therapy, called DOC1021 or Dubodencel, uses a sample of the patient’s own tumor to teach their dendritic cells what the cancer looks like, so the immune system can recognize and attack it. The therapy is described as "double-loaded" because it utilizes both tumor lysate and amplified tumor mRNA. In the earlier Phase I trial of 16 newly diagnosed GBM patients (15 of whom were unmethylated), the treatment showed a favorable safety profile and a 12 month survival rate of 88%. Notably, four patients remained alive at 22 to 33 months of follow-up.