Roger Stupp, MD, professor, Neurological Surgery, and associate director, Strategic Initiatives, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, discusses final results of a randomized, multi-center, phase III trial investigating tumor treating fields (TTFields) added to standard chemotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma during the AACR Annual Meeting.

This study aimed to improve survival in glioblastoma, which is the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor in adults. The study involved 80 centers worldwide and randomized a total of 695 patients to receiving either standard of care — either temozolomide/radiation, followed by temzolomide, or temozolomide/radiation, followed by temozolomide plus TTFields.

The results demonstrated a 37% reduction in risk of death when adding TTFields to temozolomide/chemotherapy. To illustrate those results at 2 years, this means the overall survival is increasing from 30% to 43%, and there is a maintenance of this absolute benefit at 3, 4, and even 5 years, Stupp explains.

View more from the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting

Videos

Dr. Stupp on Final Results for TTFields Added to Chemo in Glioblastoma

Roger Stupp, MD, Professor of Oncology, University of Zürich; Chairman, Department of Oncology and Cancer Center, University of Zürich Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland, discusses the interim analysis of the EF-14 trial, which compared NovoTTF-100A together with temozolomide versus temozolomide alone in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

NovoTTF, also known as Optune, creates tumor treating fields (TTFields) that interfere with cell division at different phases of mitosis. The phase III EF-14 trial is the second prospective study to demonstrate the efficacy of the NovoTTF in GBM. Previous studies looked at the treatment in patients with recurrent GBM while EF-14 examined the device in newly diagnosed patients, Stupp says.

In the EF-14 trial, 700 patients were enrolled and the first 315 patients were analyzed. Stupp says patients that were treated with NovoTTF plus temozolomide demonstrated an improvement in progression-free survival compared with temozolomide alone (median PFS of 7.1 months compared with 4.0 months, respectively; HR = 0.63,

 = .001). Overall survival was extended by 3 months with NovoTFF, with a median OS of 19.6 months compared to 16.6 months with tomozolomide alone (HR = 0.75, 

View more from the 2014 Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting

Roger Stupp, MD, Professor of Oncology, University of ZÃ¼rich; Chairman, Department of Oncology and Cancer Center, University of ZÃ¼rich Hospital, ZÃ¼rich, Switzerland, discusses the interim analysis of the EF-14 trial, which compared NovoTTF-100A together with temozolomide versus temozolomide alone in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Roger Stupp, MD

Articles

Dr. Stupp on Final Results for TTFields Added to Chemo in Glioblastoma

Dr. Stupp Discusses NovoTTF With Temozolomide in Glioblastoma