Brain Cancer | Specialty

The OncLive Brain Cancer condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on various types of brain cancer, including glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research in brain cancer.

AV-GBM-1 Cancer Vaccine Improves PFS in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma

June 8th 2021

The personalized cancer vaccine AV-GBM-1, developed by AIVITA Biomedical Inc., significantly improved progression-free survival over standard of care in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Innovation Fuels Breakthroughs for Rare Cancers

June 2nd 2021

Innovative strategies are vital for patients diagnosed with rare cancers, who are frequently at a disadvantage compared with those who have more common malignancies, experts say.

Dr. Federico on Risk Categorization in Neuroblastoma

May 26th 2021

Sara M. Federico, MD, discusses risk categorization in neuroblastoma.

Modified RANO Affords a More Accurate Assessment of Outcomes in Recurrent Glioblastoma

May 26th 2021

Standard response assessment in neuro-oncology- and immunotherapy RANO-defined progression-free did not correlate with overall survival vs modified RANO-defined PFS, which strongly correlated with OS in patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with MDNA55 in a phase 2 trial, suggesting that mRANO may be the optimal means of therapeutic response assessment in recurrent glioblastoma.

Radiation Strategies Blaze a Trail for Better Outcomes in CNS Cancers and Beyond

May 21st 2021

Stephanie E. Weiss, MD, FASTRO and Eric M. Horwitz, MD, FABS, FASTRO, discuss ways to leverage radiation in the treatment of central nervous system metastases, areas of active investigation, and different available strategies that are improving outcomes for patients with cancer.

cfMeDIP-seq Provides Opportunity for Early Cancer Detection, Classification, and Monitoring

May 18th 2021

Cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing uses plasma cell-free methylomes to detect and classify several types of cancer early on, and provides the opportunity to monitor tumors for response to treatment in noninvasive way.

NKT Cells Co-Expressing GD2-CAR, IL-15 Can Induce Complete Remissions in Pediatric Neuroblastoma

May 15th 2021

Natural killer T cells that co-express GD2-CAR and interleukin-15 were found to be safe and to demonstrate evidence of in vivo expansion and localization to metastatic sites in patients with stage IV relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma.

Federico Outlines Needs, Nuances, and Necessities in Neuroblastoma Treatment

May 10th 2021

Sara M. Federico, MD, discusses the diagnosis and presentation of neuroblastoma, the role of multidisciplinary care, and novel therapies that could significantly affect the treatment paradigm for this malignancy.

Bachelot Spotlights Impact of Tucatinib for CNS Metastases in HER2+ Breast Cancer

May 8th 2021

Thomas Bachelot, MD, discussed how to approach treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and CNS metastases and the impact of tucatinib in this population.

FDA Grants Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to WP1066 for Ependymoma

April 14th 2021

The FDA has granted a rare pediatric disease designation to the p-STAT3 inhibitor WP1066 for the treatment of patients with ependymoma, a rare type of tumor that can develop in the brain or the spinal cord.

Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib Provides Benefit Across Glioma Subtypes

April 12th 2021

Dual inhibition of the MAPK pathway using the BRAF and MEK inhibitors dabrafenib and trametinib, respectively, resulted in durable clinical benefit for patients with BRAF V600E mutant low- and high-grade glioma.

FDA Recommends Termination of Phase 2 Trial Examining Immunotherapy ERC1671 in Glioblastoma

April 7th 2021

The FDA has recommended the early termination of a phase 2 trial examining the cell-based immunotherapy ERC1671 in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, cyclophosphamide, and bevacizumab in patients with glioblastoma.

Surgical Intervention Provides the Foundation for Exploring Immunotherapy in Glioblastoma

March 31st 2021

Because the current standard-of-care modalities have significant limitations, there has been a great interest in pursuing immunotherapeutic strategies for glioblastoma.

Dr. Merchant on the Importance of Continued Care in Pediatric Craniopharyngioma

March 29th 2021

Thomas E. Merchant, DO, PhD, discusses the importance of continued care in pediatric patients with craniopharyngioma.

Zotiraciclib Plus Temozolomide Shows Meaningful Efficacy in Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas

February 5th 2021

February 5, 2021 - The potent CDK9 inhibitor zotiraciclib, when used in combination was temozolomide, was found to induce clinically meaningful efficacy with a tolerable safety profile in patients with recurrent, high-grade gliomas.

FDA Grants 3 Rare Pediatric Disease Designations to STAT3 Inhibitor WP1066

January 7th 2021

January 7, 2020 - The FDA has approved the request submitted by Moleculin Biotech, Inc. for rare disease designations to be granted their drug candidate WP1066, an agent that appears to directly elicit tumor cell death and rouse the immune system to eliminate tumors.

Japanese Approval Sought for Oncolytic Virus Teserpaturev for Malignant Glioma

January 5th 2021

January 5, 2020 - A new drug application has been submitted to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare for the oncolytic virus teserpaturev for use in the treatment of patients with malignant glioma.

Nivolumab Plus Temozolomide/Radiotherapy Misses OS End Point in Glioblastoma Multiforme

December 23rd 2020

December 23, 2020 — Nivolumab in combination with temozolomide and radiation treatment failed to result in a statistically significant improvement in overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme with MGMT promoter methylation following surgical resection of the tumor.

FDA Gives Green Light to IND for Berubicin for Glioblastoma Multiforme

December 22nd 2020

December 22, 2020 — The FDA has approved an investigational new drug application for berubicin for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

FDA Grants PTC596 Multiple Designations for Leiomyosarcoma, Glioma

November 18th 2020

November 18, 2020 - The FDA has granted a fast track designation and an orphan drug designation to the orally bioavailable small molecule tubulin-binding agent PTC596 for potential use in patients with leiomyosarcoma; the agent also received a rare pediatric disease designation and an orphan drug designation for potential use in patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.