March 29th 2023
Investigators are assessing tirabrutinib, which received orphan drug designation from the FDA, as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma in the phase 2 PROSPECT study.
Treatment Recommendations for Anaplastic Oligodendrogliomas That Are Codeleted
April 15th 2013Although important questions still remain regarding chemotherapy choice, sequence, and dosing, the answers to which will require additional large phase III trials, radiotherapy alone is no longer appropriate therapy for 1p/19q codeleted anaplastic oligodendrogliomas.
Erlotinib Plus WBRT Effective for NSCLC Brain Metastases
February 7th 2013The combination of whole-brain radiation therapy and the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib showed a promising response rate and was well tolerated in a new phase II trial of patients with brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer.
Potential Brain Cancer Therapy Seen in Affordable Diabetes Drug
November 26th 2012Researchers have identified metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, as a way to activate a key protein that can shut down the continued self-renewal process that keeps producing new glioma cells in glioblastoma patients.
Medulloblastoma: Molecular Classifications and Prognostic Associations
November 15th 2012Of particular relevance for clinicians is the possible recommendation of omitting concurrent chemotherapy with CSI in adults, due to the lower marrow reserves and overall lack of data for clear efficacy of concurrent chemotherapy in adults. Additional refinement of these therapeutic regimens for adult medulloblastoma awaits further advances in both the molecular prognostic associations for these tumors and the potentially exciting development of targeted therapies for specific molecular subtypes.
A Tale of Two Tumors: Pediatric and Adult Medulloblastoma
November 15th 2012Future studies of adult medulloblastoma should include whole genome sequencing and identification of the tumorigenic cell origin of adult medulloblastoma. Ultimately, quality prospective trials are needed in adult medulloblastoma patients in order to optimize the management of this rare and complex disease.
For Breast Cancer Patients With Brain Mets, New Drug Combo May Be Option
November 8th 2012A new drug combination of lapatinib (Tykerb) and capecitabine (Xeloda) shrunk brain tumors in HER2-positive breast cancer patients whose cancer had spread to the brain, showing it is active as a first-line brain metastases treatment with similar efficacy to whole-brain radiotherapy.
Tumor Biology Trumps Anatomy in Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
July 12th 2012In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Drs. Lim and Lin present a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the basic biology of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) and of emerging strategies for treating this increasingly common complication of advanced breast cancer (BC) (BC is second only to non–small-cell lung cancer in the frequency of central nervous system [CNS] metastasis.)
Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy to Surgical Cavity After Resection for Brain Metastasis
April 5th 2012Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) appears to be safe and effective in preventing recurrence at resection cavities following surgical resection of brain metastasis and may spare many patients from whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and its adverse effects.
Hot on the Trail of the One-in-a-Million Brain Tumor
December 14th 2010The odds are exceedingly slim that you'll ever see an intracranial MPNST. With no established treatments and tough clinical dilemmas, you don't want to. But 3 recent case reviews and new insights from biology suggest this rare tumor may finally be vulnerable.
Brain tumor gene mapping project launches in Seattle
January 5th 2010The Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project will track genetic mutations in glioblastoma multiforme and produce a free, online medical atlas. The Seattle-based project is a partnership between the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute.
Bevacizumab for Renal Cell Carcinoma,Glioblastoma, and Other Solid Tumors
October 9th 2009In July 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for use of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with interferon alfa for treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Metabolic Abnormalities in an Adult Survivor of Pediatric Craniopharyngioma
July 1st 2008Adult survivors of childhood craniopharyngiomas, the second most common type of childhood brain tumor, face many challenges, including multiple life-threatening metabolic abnormalities. Serious metabolic deficits can result from injury to the pituitary gland or hypothalamus.
Paraganglioma: A Potentially Challenging Tumor
The development of metastatic disease in patients with paraganglioma is an unusual and challenging event. This case report and review describes the specific features of this disease and the multiple therapeutic options.
Systemic Therapy for Lung Cancer Brain Metastases: A Rationale for Clinical Trials
February 1st 2008Despite the high prevalence of brain metastases in patients with metastatic lung cancer, these patients have been excluded from enrollment in clinical trials of new therapeutic drugs. The reasons for exclusion have centered on concerns that the blood-brain barrier may impede drug delivery into brain metastases, that brain metastases confer a dismal survival for metastatic lung cancer patients, and that brain metastases carry risk for cerebrovascular hemorrhage. A focused, updated review of these issues, however, clearly shows that these particular concerns are unwarranted. An extensive review of clinical trials on the efficacy of chemotheraputic agents against lung cancer brain metastases is also provided. This collective information describes an area in need of therapeutic development and supports an initiative to evaluate novel targeted therapies for lung cancer brain metastases.
Investigational Drug Cediranib Shows Promise in Patients With Recurrent Glioblastoma
September 1st 2007Data for the investigational agent cediranib (AZD2171) were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) from a phase II monotherapy study in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor, with a high unmet medical need.
New Antiangiogenesis Agent Promising in Glioblastoma
July 1st 2007The oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor cediranib (Recentin, AstraZeneca), known experimentally as AZD2171, alleviated edema and showed an improvement in progression-free survival, compared with historical controls, in a phase II study of patients with recurrent glioblastoma