Glioblastoma

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — An investigational vaccine of autologous dendritic cells loaded with autologous tumor antigens was safe and feasible as an adjuvant therapy when given after standard care therapies for glioblastoma, according to phase 2 trial results presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting.

Plasma cell-free DNA appeared to be an effective biomarker for tumor burden and a viable prognostic tool for disease progression among newly-diagnosed patients with glioblastoma, according to results of a prospective study published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Investigators from St. Michael’s Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto have determined that the transcriptional regulatory protein ID1 appears to maintain cancer stem cells in glioblastoma.

Asparagine endopeptidase appeared to promote disease progression among patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase-wild-type glioblastoma by inactivation of p53, according to results of a prospective study published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

A randomized phase 3 trial designed to evaluate the addition of nivolumab to standard therapy for certain patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme failed to meet one of its primary endpoints of PFS.

Although median and short-term OS rates have improved for glioblastoma, still only a small proportion of patients achieve 5-year survival, according to study results published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

In this week’s edition, anxiety, depression worse among older men with vision impairment; emerging therapeutics may improve outcomes in pediatric patients with rare disorders; glioblastoma presents roadblock to successful immunotherapy; and more.