This article is sponsored by the USC Brain Tumor Center.
The USC Brain Tumor Center is pioneering a promising combination therapy that may help extend survival for glioblastoma patients.
For patients and families facing a glioblastoma (GBM) diagnosis, accessing cutting-edge research and treatment options can make all the difference. Physician-scientists from the USC Brain Tumor Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, are devoted to changing that reality, offering patients renewed hope through breakthrough therapies.
“It’s beneficial to seek care from research-focused clinicians,” says David D. Tran, MD, PhD, chief of neuro-oncology and co-director of the USC Brain Tumor Center. “Brain tumor specialists who actively conduct research have a deep understanding of the molecular mechanism of this tumor, which they use to design therapies tailored to each patient’s genetic characteristics.”
One of those groundbreaking treatments, developed and tested by Dr. Tran and his team, now has the potential to set a new standard for addressing GBM.
Breaking through treatment barriers
While immunotherapies have proven successful against many cancers, brain tumors have historically been resistant to these treatments. Previous research has shown activating an immune reaction elsewhere in the body has little effect on brain tumors. “The struggle for many years was figuring out how to get a tumor-specific immune reaction to actually reach the brain tumor,” Dr. Tran says.
Dr. Tran theorized that the best way to trigger an immune reaction against GBM was to “start the reaction inside the tumor itself, an approach known as in situ immunization.” One of his solutions? Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy.
Using TTFields to generate a reaction
Dr. Tran has been studying TTFields for more than a decade. This noninvasive treatment uses alternating electrical fields to target cancer cells and stop them from growing. In a Phase 2 study, patients responded well with minimal side effects.
A few months after starting the treatment, Dr. Tran observed significant inflammation in and around his patients’ tumors. But the tumors weren’t worsening. The inflammation had sparked a strong immune reaction, essentially alerting the body’s natural defenses to fight the tumor growth.
Remarkable results from a powerful combination
A recently published Phase 2 study led by Dr. Tran combined TTFields therapy with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda. Patients received TTFields therapy via a set of electrode arrays worn on their head, along with chemotherapy. After one month, patients started receiving Keytruda administered by IV every three weeks.
The results were extraordinary: the combination extended median survival from 14.6 to 24.8 months — an improvement of 10 months compared to patients treated without Keytruda in the past.
Even more encouraging, patients with bulky, inoperable tumors, typically given the worst prognosis, experienced the most dramatic benefits. Their overall survival exceeded 31 months.
“We are challenging the assumption that a bulky tumor necessarily predicts poorer prognosis,” Dr. Tran says. Other doctors are now sending patients with inoperable brain cancer to the USC Brain Tumor Center because of its cutting-edge treatment that helps the body’s own immune system fight the tumor, he adds.
Hope through innovation
An international Phase 3 trial is now underway, bringing this promising treatment closer to becoming a new standard of care. For patients and families seeking hope and advanced treatment options, the USC Brain Tumor Center continues to pioneer breakthroughs that extend and improve lives.
Call the USC Brain Tumor Center at (844) 332-7246 or email [email protected] with questions.
