The IBTA’s monthly e-News has been released and has emailed to all subscribers. Emailed to 5,000 people around the globe, including clinicians, patients, researchers and others, 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 every month by registering here.
This month’s highlights
You can read the IBTA e-News February 2024 edition in full online here.
Some highlights from this month’s round-up:
- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to tovorafenib (Ojemda), a targeted ‘kinase inhibitor’ for paediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) with BRAF gene alterations, based on a 51% response rate from the FIREFLY-1 trial. This marks the first systemic therapy approved in the US for this condition. Similarly, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended in final draft guidance the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib, also kinase inhibitors, for children with BRAF V600 mutant pLGG.
- May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in a number of countries around the world (for example, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).Throughout the month of May, various organisations host events, from educational campaigns to fundraising walks, all aimed at improving outcomes for those affected by brain tumours. It is an excellent opportunity for individuals to get involved by participating in local events, sharing personal stories on social media to raise awareness, or contributing to fundraising efforts.
- For the first time, leading oncologists from across Europe have established a consensus on the best treatment protocols for young patients with central nervous system germ cell tumours (CNS GCTs), a rare brain tumour type. Published in the European Journal of Cancer and Paediatrics, this consensus aims to standardise care, ensuring that healthcare providers across Europe can access and apply the most effective treatments.
- A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigations has highlighted factors that may predict or explain why long-term survivors (LTS) of glioblastoma outlive their expected prognosis. LTS displayed unique characteristics such as younger age at diagnosis, distinct MRI features, and certain genetic markers like MGMT promoter methylation and TP53 mutations, which are often linked to better responses to treatment.
- A study published in Neuro-Oncology on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-related optic pathway glioma (OPG) has found that mutations in the NF1 gene lead to excessive neuronal activity and production of a protein called midkine, which in turn, stimulates tumour growth. In mice experiments, the researchers showed that lamotrigine, a common epilepsy medication, significantly slowed tumour growth.
- An article in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology has compared two treatments for radiation necrosis—a serious side effect of brain tumour radiation where damaged tissue causes swelling.The results suggested that bevacizumab is superior to Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for symptom control, although both treatments effectively managed the condition.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to TLX101-CDx, an experimental PET scan imaging agent developed by Telix Pharmaceuticals, for the characterisation of progressive or recurrent glioma
To see an archive of existing e-News issues, click here.
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