[30 June 2017] The IBTA’s monthly e-News has now been released and has been emailed to all subscribers. To sign up to receive your copy, click here.
You can read the IBTA e-News June 2017 edition in full online here.
Some of the highlights from this month’s include:
- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gleolan (5-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride, also known as ‘Gliolan’) for use to improve the visualisation of grade 3 or 4 glioma tumour tissue during surgery.
- A study published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology has found that a class of blood pressure drugs (ASI) appear to improve survival in recurrent glioblastoma patients being treated with chemotherapy and/or the antiangiogenic agent bevacizumab (Avastin).
- Published in Nature Neuroscience, animal experiments have revealed that a combination of existing medicines (erlotinib and thalidomide) traditionally used separately to treat lung cancer and arthritis can destroy glioblastoma tumours.
- A study has shown that changes in immune activity appear in the blood several years before symptoms of a brain tumour arises, suggesting that it may be possible to screen for glioma.
- Results of a phase 2 clinical trial suggest that the drug selumetinib appears to be safe and effective as a therapy in recurrent or refractory low-grade glioma in children.
- The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, has announced that one of the organisation’s brain tumour research projects is to receive CAD$4.8 million in Translational Research Initiatives (TRIs) funding over two years to examine the cellular and genetic differences of paediatric and adult brain tumours.
- Novocure has announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the RTOG(Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) Foundation’s phase 2 pilot trial testing Optune together with bevacizumab (Avastin) in glioblastoma patients experiencing recurrence or progression after bevacizumab treatment.
- Currently recruiting is a phase 2, open-label, non-randomised multi-center clinical trial (NCT02034110) of the oral drugs dabrafenib and trametinib for adults with rare cancers, which includes both high- and low-grade glioma (WHO Grades 1 – 4). Further information on the trial can be found here (Clinicaltrials.gov website).
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 every month by registering here.
To see an archive of existing e-News issues, click here.
