Sponsored by
We know this is a a controversial and emotional issue but we need to know your thoughts on the matter. Please fill out the survey.
This small study had amazing results. Compared to matched historical controls, median progression free survival was 25.3 months in the vaccine group vs. 8.0 months in the historical control group and median overall survival was 41.1 vs. 19.2 months. Only 1 patient had significant side effects, an allergic reaction to the immune stimulant they used - which was discontinued and she was able to continue on the vaccine.
Disclaimer: I (Al Musella, DPM) am on the patient advisory board at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.
This is an exciting trial. Early (small) trials had a few complete responses after a single treatment.
Disclaimer: Medicenna is a sponsor of our organization
Brilliant work. If they are correct, this drug may be able to replace the Vincristine in PCV, making it more effective and much less toxic!
Disclosure: I am on the patient advisory board of the Feinstein Institute.
Results from earlier studies were impressive with " In the subgroup of patients considered inoperable, the chance of survival at two years for those who received TSC was increased by over 100 percent, as 40 percent in the TSC group were alive at two years compared to less than 20 percent in the control. "
I came up with this idea a long time ago but couldn't get it implemented. However, I think the time has come where it is now possible, see the blog for details! Let me know how you feel about it at http://virtualtrials.com/feedback.cfm
Toca 511 is an experimental gene therapy being tested for recurrent glioblastoma. This study shows long lasting immunity - actually a cure - in mice. Even when they tried to inject a new tumor into these mice, the mice rejected the tumor.
I am proud to say that the Musella Foundation has supported the development of this treatment with $130,000 in grants over the last 5 years. Winning the "Most Successful Early Phase Trial" is really impressive when you consider this is across all cancer types, not just brain tumors. Congratulations to Tocagen!
This is the second recent study to suggest that 6 months of Temozolomide might be optimal. However, this was not a randomized prospective trial. I would think each case is different and if things are going well, it may be worth using Temozolomide longer. If not, try something else.
I did not really expect it to do well by itself. I feel that it may be part of a combination approach with other immune therapies. We are funding such a combination trial now!
This is one of my favorites. It may become a drop in replacement for Temodar in patients who have unmethylated MGMT, and it might also do better in other situations.
This is the final results of the Optune trial. Survival rates were 43 percent versus 31 percent at two years; 26 percent versus 16 percent at three years, and 13 percent versus 5 percent at five years. These results are impressive. The survival advantage has improved since the last report as there are now more 5 year survivors. All subgroups of patients had a benefit - methylated or unmethylated, young or old, gross total resection and biopsy only. They also clarified their position of letting every patient who wants to use it get it regardless of ability to pay.
Exciting news- the trial was expanded. We (the Musella Foundation) gave a grant to help with the early development of this new drug!
This is an exciting new treatment. IF it is true that most GBMs have the CMV virus, this vaccine should work. As I mentioned in recent stories, it is controversial if that is true. A few researcher say almost all GBMs have it and a few others say NO GBM have it. If this vaccine works, it is more proof of that theory.
I have been working on this plan for a while, but I think now is the time for it to actually be approved. Everything is coming together - like the perfect storm:
1. We finally have a few experimental treatments in the pipeline that look really good.
2. The new president is slashing regulations and calling for faster FDA approvals and for slashing drug prices.
3. Computer technology and biostatistics have reached the point where our plan for a registry trial can be just as reliable - maybe more so - than traditional phase 3 trials.
IF this plan is put into effect, I predict we would have an immediate breakthrough in the treatment of brain tumors, and the possibility of a cure in a few years, instead of the decades it would take on the current path.
I need the support of other organizations now, and in a few weeks I may need everyone to be writing letters and making phone calls. I will send out details when it is time!
This article says that using more than 6 months of Temozolomide is not better than using 6 months of it as far as survival goes. That is counter-intuitive. I would like to see larger studies to confirm it.
Let's hope this gets into human trials quickly
Early results were very impressive. This is a different type of immunotherapy that does not depend on the body creating antibodies. It is an old treatment that was hampered in the past by an inability to get the drug where it is needed. With modern equipment, it is now possible to get it exactly where it is needed and it should do a lot better. I will be keeping an eye on this trial!
Disclosure: This company is a sponsor of our organization.
Sounds like a great pick! I have been working on a plan to speed up drug approvals for brain tumors - and slash the price of new drugs. Maybe Dr Gottlieb would be open to the idea of helping brain tumor patients. Does anyone happen to have a connection to him? Let me know!
Disclosure: the company that makes this is a sponsor of the Musella Foundation
This is an exciting trial. It is similar (although it uses a different target) to a trial done a long time ago that failed because the state of the art in convection enhanced delivery at that time did not allow the drug to get to the entire tumor. Now the technology has improved to the point where it can deliver the drug to just about anywhere we want it to go! A major advantage of this type of treatment over other immunotherapies is that it does not rely on your immune system to help it. The fusion protein binds to the IL-4 receptor (which about 80% of glioblastomas over-express, and normal cells do not express), and carried the toxin to those cells - which makes this a smart bomb type of approach - it should theoretically kill tumor cells and not normal cells.
