Al's Comment:
This article doesn't reveal anything new, but it does underscore the significance of Optune. A glance at the survival curves in Figure 3 indicates that adding Optune boosts the 5-year survival rate to approximately 20%, compared to just 5% without it. This is a substantial improvement.
One issue I have with the article is its implication that Optune is not part of the standard care for treating Glioblastoma. Contrary to this, Optune is actually considered standard care. According to current NCCN guidelines, the preferred treatment sequence is to first consider a clinical trial. If that's not feasible, the next best options are surgery, radiation, Temodar, and Optune. Dr. Roger Stupp, the namesake of the Stupp protocol—which is the standard of care for GBM—has stated at a SNO meeting that Optune is now integrated into the Stupp protocol and is considered standard care.
Another point of contention I have with the article is its emphasis on a 75% compliance rate as the threshold for effectiveness. I believe this target is too low and should be raised to 90%.
Posted on: 08/26/2023
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