[01 April 2021] The IBTA’s monthly e-News has been released and has emailed to all subscribers. To sign up to receive your copy, click here.
You can also read the IBTA e-News March 2021 edition in full online here.
Some of the highlights from this month’s round-up:
- The Cochrane Library – a free-to-access collection of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making – has published a new Cochrane ‘Special Collection’ dedicated to brain tumour diagnosis and management. This publication reflects a collaboration between Cochrane, The James Lind Alliance, brainstrust the National Institute for Health Research, the National Cancer Research Institute and brain tumour patients themselves, and brings together years of collaborative effort into a resource that is relevant for people living with a brain tumour.
- Socioeconomic status appears to be tightly correlated to survival in glioblastoma, according to a study published in the European Journal of Cancer. Even though Italy offers a universal, largely free and relatively comprehensive healthcare service to its population, this study highlights that income remains a factor affecting clinical outcomes.
- Results from a phase 2 trial published in the journal Neuro-Oncology comparing the mental status changes (cognitive side effects) after treatment with either proton radiation (PT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has reported results which found that there was no difference in delayed time to cognitive failure (a drop in a mental ability not due to chance), progression-free survival, or overall survival between the two treatment approaches.
- Nine National Health Service (NHS) hospital brain tumour centres in the UK have been recognised as a ‘Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence’ following the first round of expert-led assessments by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission.
- A paper published in the journal Nature has reported promising results from a phase 1 human trial involving 33 patients testing a novel vaccine in diffuse gliomas designed to target cells carrying a mutated IDH1 gene. Over 70% of low-grade gliomas have a single gene mutation affecting an enzyme called isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), a status which carries an improved prognosis.
- A majority of glioblastoma patients are being systematically excluded from clinical trials because of stringent eligibility criteria and potentially skewing results, according to a study published in Neuro-Oncology Advances.
- Published in the British Journal of Cancer, a phase 1b clinical trial of a cannabinoid mouth spray (nabiximols) combined with temozolomide chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma patients has found it to be safe, well tolerated, and that it did not interact with other drugs.
- According to a study published in Nature Communications, it may be possible to predict whether a person with brain metastases will respond to a variety of different ‘checkpoint’ immunotherapies, such as anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, and anti-CTLA4 drugs, through a test of their cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid which bathes the brain and spinal cord).
- A new scoring system for predicting how an individual’s meningioma will develop and respond to treatment has been published in the journal Cancer. Through genetic analysis of 179 meningiomas correlated with patient outcome, four meningioma subtypes were identified.
- Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a study of 661 children who survived a brain tumour has found that one third become overweight, obese, or had gained a significant amount of weight during the follow-up period (7.3 years on average). Unlike other similar research, this Dutch study excluded patients with craniopharyngiomas or pituitary tumours – which are known to directly affect hormone levels.
Our monthly e-News highlights items of interest to our international brain tumour community and is emailed to approximately 6,000 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 every month by registering here.
To see an archive of existing e-News issues, click here.
