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Although the Novocure NovoTTf-100a device is FDA approved for recurrent glibolastoma, it is not yet available everywhere. Doctors have to become certified in it's use and the company needs to set up tech support centers in each area served. For a list of centers that offer it now, go to: http://www.novottftherapy.com/
Disclaimer: Novocure is one of our sponsors!
This is from our friends at the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation. They raised over $3 million to fund brain tumor research! Excellent job! For our members in Texas - consider participating in thier Annual Run for the Rose on
This article identifies an interesting link between the development of high blood pressure as a side effect from Avastin or Nexavar and how well it works for Glioblastomas. Those who developed severe high blood pressure did twice as good as those who did not. Interesting.. too early to depend on it yet - it needs to be confirmed in other studies, but opens the door to new research to figure out WHY this may happen.
This study shows that for elderly GBM patients (65-87 years old), it may be possible to cut the number of radiation treatments in half - to 15 visitis in 3 weeks from 30 visits in 6 weeks, and get about the same results. Of course, the results either way aren't good enough and it might be best to try a clinical trial of just about anything. However, if you are going to use the standard treatment, saving 15 sessions will make a big difference in quality of life for those 3 weeks.
Gliadel wafer is a biodegradeable impant that can be inserted into the resection cavity after removing a brain tumor. It slowly releases chemotherapy directly to the area most likely to have a recurrence. It was FDA approved about 10 years ago, based on trials run before Temodar was available. This study updates the results to include people using Temodar and shows about the same results.. a small improvement in survival time but it had a major - about 30% - reduced chance of dying for people who used the Gliadel vs the placebo wafer in the trial.
There were minimal increases in side effects. Worth considering if you are having a brain tumor surgery - but with one big warning - there are some clinical trials that do not allow people who have used Gliadel. So it is very important to plan out what you want to do after the surgery. It is a very hard decision if your preferred clinical trial doesn't allow for the use of Gliadel.. you trade an approved treatment with a good chance of helping most patients a little and a few patients a lot (gliadel) for an unproven treatment in the trial that has the chance for a bigger improvement - but has not been shown to be safe or effective yet.
This is great news! Might get us quicker access to the exciting new treatments in the pipeline!
This sounds interesting but it is way too early to get excited about
This is fantastic news.. I hear of many cases where Medicare denies care to brain tumor patients saying the patient does not have a good chance of improvement. If you find yourself in this situation, print out this article and give it to your doctor and ask them to fight the decision.
Excellent event - great cause! Participate if you can!
This is one of my favorite clincial trials (it is being done all over the USA) ... however, the problem is that you need to enter the trial BEFORE your first brain tumor surgery. Most people do not hear about this until after it is too late We need to spread word of options such as these. My pet peeve is that most neurosurgeons will not discuss the fact that by doing the surgery you will be forever excluded from clinical trials that require you to join before the first surgery. Something to think about if you are about to have that first surgery.
This is the monthly newsletter from our friends at the International Brain Tumor Association.
Interesting article. It says that the addition of Temodar at the same time (and after) as radiation (which is now the standard of care) does NOT change the pattern of recurrence. Most (91%) had recurrence in the same area as the original tumor which is about the same as when they used Temodar only after radiation. The significance is this may mean widening the area radiated won't make much difference.
This articles says that at the second surgery for a GBM, getting a complete resection adds a few months to survival. We already knew that was true for the initial surgery. This might not sound like much, but it may be enough added time for something else to work.
Although better than the alternatives tested, still not good enough and shows the huge need for more research. They didn't include the Novocure NovoTTF-100A which is the only other approved treatment for recurrent GBMs and they did not include any of the exciting clinical trials.
This is the way alternative treatments need to be tested - starting in the lab. I am sure many alternative treatments have an effect. We need to find the ones that help, and find the best ways to use them - this moves them from the "alternative" realm to the "mainstream" realm!
My good friend, and 12 year GBM survivor, Cheryl wrote a book about her experiances. She is donating 50% of the profits for the rest of the year to the Musella Foundation! Thanks Cheryl!
Live webcast tommorrow about this brain tumor vaccine.
It's a very good sign that the FDA gave orphan drug status! Keep an eye on this one.
As I mentioned a few issues ago, the IL13Ra2 antigen is one of my favorite targets. I will be watching this.
This article shows that when the surgeon thinks he/she "removed the entire tumor", he is wrong about 70% of the time. This shows the need for the approval of the dye that lets the surgeon tell where the tumor is when operating, and also for more hospitals to get intra-operative imaging tools like MRI or ultrasound that can help them tell where the tumor is.
Note that in many cases it is not possible to remove all of the tumor – the risk of neurological damage is too high, but the surgeon should know exactly how much of the tumor is being left behind. These tools can help.
