A link to the full copy of the e-News – IBTA e-News June 2016
[10 June 2015] Over the past week, copies of the 2015 world edition of our “Brain Tumour” magazine have been landing in the letterboxes of subscribers in over 110 countries across the globe.
[1 June 2016] The IBTA’s monthly e-News has now been released and has been emailed to all subscribers.
Some of the highlights from the May issue include:
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published an updated classification of central nervous system tumours, setting a new standard for brain tumour research, diagnosis and communication..
- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given “breakthrough designation” to a poliovirus-based brain tumour immunotherapy, PVS-RIPO, for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.
- The 2016 / 2017 edition of the IBTA’s Brain Tumour magazine will be available for viewing online via the IBTA website from 8th June.
- A study has concluded that giving radiation therapy in ‘fractionated’ doses, rather than as a single larger dose, does not spare white matter from the late effects of radiation damage.
- Two published studies have investigated the potential link between mobile phone use and brain tumours: one finding that the increased rates of brain tumour diagnosis seen in recent years cannot be explained by mobile phone use, another finding that tumour formation was increased in mice exposed to mobile phone frequency radiation.
- Brain Tumor Awareness Month in the USA saw record numbers of people taking part and the Australian Brain Cancer Action Week saw various outreach, educational events and fund-raising activities take place across the country.
- Clinical trial results have shown that treatment with a cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65 dendritic cell (DC) vaccine is linked to better than expected survival in glioblastoma patients.
- You can read the IBTA e-News April edition online here.
Our monthly e-News highlights items of interest to our international brain tumour community and is emailed to nearly 7,000 recipients. It gives a round-up of the latest research and treatment developments, news about brain tumour patient organisations around the world, and key forthcoming neuro-oncology scientific and patient conferences. You can sign up to receive the e-News by registering here.
To see an archive of existing e-News issues, click here.
A link to the full copy of the e-News – IBTA e-News May 2016
[17 May 2016] The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published an updated classification of central nervous system tumours, setting a new standard for brain tumour research and communication between different centers around the world. The revised fifth edition is a major update to the existing 2007 classification and brings the naming and grouping of brain tumours into line with current scientific understanding and technology. For the first time, the new WHO classification combines the genetic information of brain tumours with their histology (the way the tumour looks under a microscope), thus formulating a more accurate concept for how brain tumour diagnoses should be named and structured.
This new classification is the culmination of work by a collaboration of 117 experts from 20 different countries and will allow for more accurate diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis. With the new classification, brain tumour patients in clinical trials may be stratified into groups that reflect the molecular profile of their tumour, allowing effective targeted treatments to be found more easily. The new classification will also aid researchers by helping them to make more precise analysis of data in the lab, and to accurately compare their results with other institutions.
Within the updated classification, glioblastomas are now organised according to their IDH mutation status, while some entities have been deleted that no longer have diagnostic and/or biological relevance. Newly identified tumour types have been incorporated into the classification and use of the diagnosis “oligoastrocytoma” is now discouraged in favour of astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma. All changes can be found online in the 2016 World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System summary.
The IBTA is excited by the publication of the new classification and recognises that it represents a significant step forward in the ongoing journey to improve brain tumour patient treatment and care. The IBTA also extends its gratitude to the many experts whose hard work has brought about the updated classification, which will serve to benefit brain tumour patients all around the world.
[30 April 2016] The IBTA’s monthly e-News has now been released and has been emailed to all subscribers.
Some of the highlights from the April issue include:
- Several leading figures in brain tumour research and care have been appointed to the US Government’s newly established ‘Moonshot Initiative‘ to advance cancer research
- In recently published guidance, the European Medicine’s Agency (EMA) has acknowledged the need to bring patients’ perspectives of their treatments and illness into future cancer research
- Following a successful e-Petition calling for a UK Parliamentary debate on brain tumour research funding, Health Minister George Freeman MP has announced a package of measures to improve brain tumour research, diagnosis and treatment.a package of measures has been announced
- A study has found that glioma patients fare better when given a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as opposed to radiotherapy alone
- Both regular aspirin use and childhood chickenpox infection have been linked to a lower risk for glioma
- The blood pressure medicine prazosin has been found to reduce glioblastoma growth
- DelMar Pharmaceutical’s experimental VAL-083 treatment for glioblastoma is due to progress to phase III clinical trials
You can read the IBTA e-News April edition online here.
Our monthly e-News highlights items of interest to our international brain tumour community and is emailed to nearly 7,000 recipients. It gives a round-up of the latest research and treatment developments, news about brain tumour patient organisations around the world, and key forthcoming neuro-oncology scientific and patient conferences. You can sign up to receive the e-News by registering here.
To see an archive of existing e-News issues, click here.
