McGill University Health Center

Encouraging Results For Patients With Aggressive Brain Cancer

ArticlePress release
Brain & Nerve
Current Medical News
+1
Contributed byKrish Tangella MD, MBAApr 03, 2017

Being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor is devastating news for patients and their loved ones. Whereas some types of tumor respond well to treatment, others such as glioblastomas -- the most common and aggressive brain tumors -- are known to recur and progress within short times from the diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with this type of cancer, and who undergo current standard treatment, have a median survival of 16 months.

Based on recent information on the mechanisms of chemotherapy, a team of researchers of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) developed a new clinical approach to increase the efficiency of treatment in glioblastomas that increased the median survival to 22 months -- bringing much needed hope to those affected by this aggressive disease. The findings of this promising phase II clinical trial have been published in the International Journal of Radiology Oncology.

"Glioblastomas are very difficult to treat," explains Dr. George Shenouda, radio-oncologist at the MUHC and lead author of the study. "These tumors grow and spread quickly throughout the brain, making it very difficult to completely remove with surgery."

The standard treatment for glioblastomas consists of removing as much of the tumor as possible with surgery and then eliminating what is left through radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. After surgery, patients need at least 4-5 weeks of recovery before starting radiotherapy. Unfortunately, during this recovery time any remaining cancer cells will continue to grow. To make matters more complicated, the remaining cancer cells, mainly cancer stem cells, can be more resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

With their new approach, the team of researchers added chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy, also called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Giving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy prevented the tumor from progressing during recovery and increased the patients' survival.

After the neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, the patients were then given accelerated radiotherapy. "We had better control over the tumor by giving patients the same overall dose of radiotherapy in fewer sessions and a shorter period of time. By doing this, we increased the efficacy of the treatment and we believe that in turn the treatment targeted the stem cells, which are the basis of recurrence. Reducing the radiotherapy sessions by one-third also alleviates the burden for patients. In addition, this represents a considerable cost reduction of delivery of treatment" says Dr. Shenouda.

Although additional research is required, the initial results are very promising. "Fifty per cent of the patients in our study have survived two years since their diagnosis -- this is very encouraging and we are very positive about the outcome," says Dr. Shenouda.


Materials provided by McGill University Health CentreNote: Content may be edited for style and length.

Disclaimer: DoveMed is not responsible for the accuracy of the adapted version of news releases posted to DoveMed by contributing universities and institutions.

Primary Resource:

Shenouda, G., Souhami, L., Petrecca, K., Owen, S., Panet-Raymond, V., Guiot, M. C., ... & Abdulkarim, B. (2017). A Phase 2 Trial of Neoadjuvant Temozolomide Followed by Hypofractionated Accelerated Radiation Therapy With Concurrent and Adjuvant Temozolomide for Patients With Glioblastoma. International Journal of Radiation Oncology* Biology* Physics97(3), 487-494. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.11.006

Was this article helpful

On the Article

Krish Tangella MD, MBA picture
Approved by

Krish Tangella MD, MBA

Pathology, Medical Editorial Board, DoveMed Team

0 Comments

Please log in to post a comment.

Related Articles

Test Your Knowledge

Asked by users

Related Centers

Loading

Related Specialties

Loading card

Related Physicians

Related Procedures

Related Resources

Join DoveHubs

and connect with fellow professionals

Related Directories

Who we are

At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.

© 2023 DoveMed. All rights reserved. It is not the intention of DoveMed to provide specific medical advice. DoveMed urges its users to consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and answers to their personal medical questions. Always call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you have a medical emergency!