3 ms·

This was a mouse study with a molecule whose human effects are largely unknown. Interesting research, but likely far away from anything that will treat humans.

This was a mouse study with a molecule whose human effects are largely unknown. Interesting research, but likely far away from anything that will treat humans. That said, the bar for human glioblastoma trials is very low. There is no cure and the disease is 100% fatal. After the standard of care treatment (which hasn't changed in 10 years), patients enter a period of regular brain scans, waiting for the inevitable recurrence and the next step down in quality of life.

haldujai 3y ago
> After the standard of care treatment (which hasn't changed in 10 years) A lot has changed in 10 years for the 'standard of care' conventional treatments (RT + TMZ) although most active-treatment GBM cases will actually be on some experimental therapy/clinical trial. In fact, the WHO classification was only recently updated (2021) as what we were calling GBM included different types of gliomas with very different prognostic implications. Unfortunately, as you allude to, despite several advancements prognosis has only marginally improved over 10 years. The main issue is that these patients almost always present with symptoms (like seizures) by which point curative intent ablative therapies (radiation or surgery) are no longer possible due to intolerable side effects. > waiting for the inevitable recurrence It's more progression than recurrence, there is (essentially) always residual disease with GBM even after radiotherapy/surgery which is one of the main reasons it remains so fatal (~6-9 months). Because of the blood-brain barrier chemotherapeutic options are also very limited.
tingletech 3y ago
When my Dad had glioblastoma, I remember seeing an ad for a custom vaccine that could be created for brain tumors. "Save the tissue, save your life" or something like that was the headline slogan it had, and it was saying to ask your brain surgeon to save your tumor so they could make your personalized treatment from it. It conjured an image that has stuck with me of someone on a gurney screaming that out as their last words before going under from anesthesia. Hopefully something I don't ever need to remember at a critical moment.

haldujai 3y ago

> After the standard of care treatment (which hasn't changed in 10 years) A lot has changed in 10 years for the 'standard of care' conventional treatments (RT + TMZ) although most active-treatment GBM cases will actually be on some experimental therapy/clinical trial. In fact, the WHO classification was only recently updated (2021) as what we were calling GBM included different types of gliomas with very different prognostic implications. Unfortunately, as you allude to, despite several advancements prognosis has only marginally improved over 10 years. The main issue is that these patients almost always present with symptoms (like seizures) by which point curative intent ablative therapies (radiation or surgery) are no longer possible due to intolerable side effects. > waiting for the inevitable recurrence It's more progression than recurrence, there is (essentially) always residual disease with GBM even after radiotherapy/surgery which is one of the main reasons it remains so fatal (~6-9 months). Because of the blood-brain barrier chemotherapeutic options are also very limited.

tingletech 3y ago

When my Dad had glioblastoma, I remember seeing an ad for a custom vaccine that could be created for brain tumors. "Save the tissue, save your life" or something like that was the headline slogan it had, and it was saying to ask your brain surgeon to save your tumor so they could make your personalized treatment from it. It conjured an image that has stuck with me of someone on a gurney screaming that out as their last words before going under from anesthesia. Hopefully something I don't ever need to remember at a critical moment.