Latest GBM Insight: Immune Genes Identified that Affect How Long Victims May Live

The lead sentence from an article written by Robert Preidt says it best “Researchers have identified immune genes that may affect how long people live after diagnosis with a common type of brain cancer.” See https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_159031.html

He goes on to quote study auther study author Dr. Anhua Wu, of First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, China  who said "We've had luck with other types of cancer in removing the brakes on the immune system to allow it to fight the tumors, but this has not been the case with glioblastoma".

My scatological reaction is “no shit.”

Yet, it’s an important step that no one else has taken.

Preidt goes on to note that “If confirmed in other studies, the researchers say their findings could lead to improved treatment in the future.”

Here’s another important insight from Preidt’s article that, one hopes, identifies a tipping point: “Dr. Rifaat Bashir, a retired neurologist in Reston, Va., wrote an editorial accompanying the study. ‘The looming question in brain cancer research today is whether the launch of immunotherapy will help control an uncontrollable disease,’ Bashir said in the journal news release.”

"While this study does not answer this question, it brings us one step closer to believing that one day we will be able to exploit the immune system to better treat glioblastoma," Bashir noted.

The report was published online May 25 in the journal Neurology - http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2016/05/25/WNL.0000000000002770.short?sid=9afcf6d4-b9f2-4f7f-b9dc-2dcf638cb84d


PS - According to the stock photo site from which I purchased this 3D animation the keywords describing this visual include brain, cancer, cancer cell, dead body, illness, and somewhat surprising to me ""beauty and health" 

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_vitanovski'>vitanovski / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Potential Promising New GBM Therapy

Here’s the headline that caught my eye “UCLA scientists develop promising new combination treatment for glioblastoma.” - http://www.news-medical.net/news/20150902/UCLA-scientists-develop-promising-new-combination-treatment-for-glioblastoma.aspx

The first sentence of the posting hedges that statement but also holds out some promise saying “UCLA scientists have developed a potentially promising new combination therapy for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.”

If you’re new to the brain tumor business, the first two sentences succinctly and bluntly spells out the dark truth about GBM: “Glioblastoma, also known as grade IV glioma, is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in humans. Approximately 23,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) every year. Patients usually receive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but these treatments are not very effective as an estimated 50 percent of GBM patients die within one year, and 90 percent die within three years”

Several facts whacked me in the eyeballs as I read that paragraph: “23,000 people in the U.S.”, “…but these treatments are not very effective…” and “…an estimated 50% die within one year…”

I don’t know what else to say. GBM is ruthless, relentless and black-heartedly deadly. So when somebody, anybody, says there is any kind of hope for victims, I pay attention.

The article discusses a study led by UCLA's Drs. Robert Prins and Linda Liau, both UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center members, that looked at the impact of a combined treatment using a chemotherapy drug called decitabine and genetically modified immune cells or T cell immunotherapy.  

The article reports that “this new method was nearly 50 percent effective at curing glioblastoma in the study.”

I so want to believe that this new protocol/therapy can be rolled out quickly to every GBM victim worldwide.

Read the entire article to better understand how the therapy works and what the next step is: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20150902/UCLA-scientists-develop-promising-new-combination-treatment-for-glioblastoma.aspx

  

Great ABTA Conference Agenda

This is a terrific agenda for first session of the upcoming American Brain Tumor Association annual “Patient and Family Conference. I like the focus on new treatments and technologies, the top name presenters and the range of topics, especially the inclusion of immunotherapies in the opening session. 

I’ve been to this conference and, based on that experience, can tell you that the ABTA does a great job with this conference. If you are a brain tumor victim, caretaker, friend or family member, you may find this wonderfully informative.

I won’t be attending this year. If you do, please shoot me an email and tell me about what you saw and heard. 

John

ABTA Webinar: “Immunotherapy for Brain Tumors”

Immunotherapy is a hot topic in the world of brain tumor treatment. So I thought you all should know about this timely (and free) American Brain Tumor Association webinar on immunotherapy from Dr. Parney, associate professor of Neurosurgery, at Mayo Clinic.

If you, like me, had no idea what immunotherapy is or does, the webinar promo blurb explains that immunotherapy  is all about stimulating the immune system to fight cancer and recent research points to this as a promising strategy for malignant brain tumors – see http://johnstumor.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-2014-american-society-of-clinical.html   

According to the promotional email, this webinar will review approaches to cancer immunotherapy including immune-modifying agents and cancer vaccines.  Lastly, and I like this part, Dr. Parney will discuss current opportunities to participate in brain tumor immunotherapy clinical trials.

Want to learn more or sign up? Here’s a link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/394211462

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_lightwise'>lightwise / 123RF Stock Photo</a>