A new editorial was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on August 5, 2024, entitled, “Next-generation vaccines are showing promise against glioblastoma.”

As noted in this paper, glioblastoma (GBM) is a rare but highly lethal malignancy that predominantly affects adults. Each year, approximately 13,000 new GBM cases are diagnosed in the United States, with around 12,000 related deaths.

Historically, GBM was considered synonymous with Grade IV astrocytoma; however, recent classifications now distinguish IDH mutant Grade IV astrocytoma as a separate pathology.

GBM accounts for about 15% of primary brain tumours and 50% of adult gliomas, making it one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. 

In their editorial, researchers Robert O. Dillman and Daniela A. Bota from the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Departments of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, at the University of California, Irvine, in Orange, California, explore various clinical and randomised trials for GBM patients.

These include trials of therapies for patients enrolled before and after concurrent radiation therapy and temozolomide (RT/TMZ), as well as patient attrition in trials involving dendritic cell (DC) vaccines and autologous tumour antigens. 

“Numerous randomised trials have failed to demonstrate an improvement in survival from enrollment prior to starting concurrent radiation therapy and temozolomide chemotherapy RT/TMZ.”

The authors also highlight that vaccines have been a promising approach for treating GBM.

These vaccines have generally been well tolerated, with the most common adverse events being local injection reactions and mild to moderate “flu-like” symptoms, which are usually brief and self-limiting.

Additionally, medical treatment is often carried out during surgery when the tumour is resected and injected intradermally.

Source: Impact Journals LLC