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Optune is the most effective treatment approved for Glioblastoma. By far. Yet it is still underused, mostly due (I think) to patients making the decision at a time when it has not yet sunk in how bad this disease is.They do not want to shave their heads and wear a device constantly. When they finaly realize, it is too late. Another reason is lack of familiarity of the doctors with tumor treating fields. It is a new concept to them, and the older doctors remember a fake electric device that was popular in the 1900s which did not work and they associated Optune with that.
There is a tremendous amount of research on tumor treating fields. There are 25 research projects on Optune being presented at the SNO meeting which is going on now. All of them reinforce the importance of Optune in the treatment plan for Glioblastoma and show how to make it even more effective. One of the keys is using Optune the right way - which is with at least 90% or more complaince. It only works while it is on, so you give the tumor a chance to recover when you turn it off too long.
I think the ultimate cocktail that has a chance to be a cure is going to involve Optune, a vaccine, a checkpoint inhibitor and one or two other therapies. There are many other treatments being presented at SNO this week that might be able to fill in the gaps and make it so most Glioblastoma patients become long term survivors, and not only survivors - but survivors in great shape. This is within reach now for the rich and hopefully for everyone next year.. We are trying to speed that up!