JHN to initiate new Phase I immunotherapy trial in glioblastoma
June 09, 2017
Leading the WayJefferson, which has an annual tumor volume that exceeds 1,000 cases, making it the busiest brain tumor practice in the tri-state area, is known for its leading clinical trials. That includes participation in a national tumor bank devoted to the genetic analysis of brain tumors (the TCGA project) and a slew of trials testing new combinations of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for the treatment of a variety of brain cancers.
As authors and lead accruers to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trial 9508, Jefferson established a new world standard of care for brain metastases in an article published in Lancet in 2004.
Currently, Jefferson is a leading participant in two RTOG trials, one investigating the use of Temozolomide, or TMZ, and radiation therapy with and without the chemotherapy drug bevacizumab in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastomas. The other is the RTOG spinal axis radiosurgery trial, which randomizes patients between conventional radiation and radiosurgery for treatment of symptomatic spinal axis metastases.
Maria Werner-Wasik, M.D., an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, also co-directs the Brain Tumor Center at Jefferson.
Taking research to bedside is also part of Jefferson's overall mission for better patient care. Last year, in a game-changing article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, physicians discussed a treatment technique and results that extended the survival of patients with glioblastoma beyond any previously published results. That treatment, which is now available at Jefferson, delivers stereotactic boost radiotherapy to patients with malignant gliomas and has nearly doubled median survival time from 14 to 24 months.
"It's vital to this institution to constantly pursue new treatments for these very serious tumors where current treatments often have minimal impact with modest survival benefit," Dr. Andrews said. "It's just one example of how the multidisciplinary team at Jefferson, which includes neurosurgeons, neuropathologists, neuro-oncologists, radiation oncologists, and neuro-immunologists, tackles brain tumor research. We strive to apply new knowledge to take better care of the hundreds and hundreds of patients that come through our doors."
Source: Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience