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We just awarded our 1,000th grant (of $5,000 each) to a brain tumor patient in need of help today!
I know most people would rather donate to brain tumor research, but there is a huge need for this type of help also.
We give you a choice when making a donation - you can pick where your donation goes!
This study definitively proves what we already knew, that you do better if the entire tumor is removed. At a recent FDA advisory committee meeting I attended, the FDA said they did not believe that is the case. Next time they will believe this study.
This is a big advance in brain tumor treatments. This new device allows the delivery of drugs to precisely where it is needed. Many clinical trials using convection enhanced delivery failed because the drug did not get to where it should have been. Perhaps those trials should be redone using this system.
Interesting new drug - apparently did well in phase 1 testing.
Maybe it could! This person identified the collaboration between the Musella Foundation and Cancer Commons as one of the things he would fund if he raises all of that money!
It is way too early to say it stops these pediatric brain tumors but this is a new idea that hopefully will start human clinical trials soon!
This man asked my opinon, and I told him: The Virtual Trial. We are expanding our virtual trial concept, collaborating with other organizations, and now have a team of experts who can help find the best treatments, track the outcomes, and learn from every patient.. Go to virtualtrials.com/ask for details.
Our copay assist program needs donations. I know most people like to donate to research only, and that is also badly needed. When you donate to the Musella Foundation (a https://virtualtrials.com/donate8.cfm ), we let you specify WHERE your donation will go, with 3 choices:
1. Brain tumor research only - 100% of your donation will go to research. (we also have some specific funds you can donate to such as DIPG or Oligodendroglioma - on our website, click on donations, the Special Funds)
2. Copay assist program - 91% of your donation with go to a needy patient. 9% has to be used to cover the expense of running the program.
3. Anywhere it is needed. This covers the foundations' expenses which allows us to provide our services, as well as educational resources. Anything left over is used for research. Never for copay.
This is a new approach . They are running trials in China for newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM patients.
This is a very important article. Although a small sample, it opens the door to using a BRAF inhibitor for brain tumors that have the BRAF V-600 mutation. Note that this shouldn't be used in other mutations of BRAF, only the V-600 mutation. They found that using these drugs may actually speed up the tumor if they do not have the V-600 mutation.
This is an interesting project. This is a preclinical experiment that may quickly lead to a human trial!
GDC-0084 (RG7666) which is a novel BBB-penetrating PI3K/mTOR inhibitor displaying a high brain-to-plasma ratio (1.9–3.3). It remarkably impedes the proliferation of five GBM cell lines and suppresses the growth of U-87 MG GBM xenografts through decreasing Akt phosphorylation
This sounds pretty good. It also worked in a mouse model of glioblastoma, so they are going to start a trial of this combination for Glioblastoma patients. Both parts of the combo are approved so they can be used off label now.
This is a phase 1 trial, which means we do not yet have results but may sounds logical.
This is an important project because the drug being studied is approved for Lung Cancer. so if they find it useful for glioblastomas, it can immediately be used off label!
This is a nice series of meetings for patients and caregivers who use (or are thinking of using) Optune.
ONC-201 is a new class of treatment for brain tumors - it is in clinical trials now for recurrent GBMs and any type of glioma that has the H3 K27M mutation!
Always a worthwhile experience from our good friends at UCLA!
This is a rare occurence - happening about 12 times out of 1,800. The cause was identified and they are fixing the problem, and letting the doctors know about it so they can watch for it and prevent problems. I feel it is still a good treatment as this device is used for "inoperable" tumors that will most likely kill the patient without the treatment, so it is still worth the small risk.
This is great news. The NCCN basically sets the standard of care for cancer treatments. The NCCN treatments classification is:
Not only does this set the standard of care as including Optune, but it should make it impossible for insurance companies to deny it.
