For more than two decades, no meaningful progress in the way glioblastoma is treated has been made. However, a recent clinical trial testing an experimental vaccine has shown promise by increasing the survival time of GBM patients, particularly those younger than 65 years.
The study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, was conducted through a collaboration between the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Roswell Park and a biotech firm, MimiMax. A press release announcing the results of the trial explains that patients who were given the SurVaxM shots survived longer by 2.5 months when compared to those given a placebo. For patients that were younger than 65 years, survival durations were even longer.
The peptide vaccine was developed to target a protein called survivin. This protein exists in most GBM tumors and it helps the cancer cells to not only survive but also spread around the brain.
The study data shows that 233 patients participated in the trial. The median survival duration among participants who received the vaccine shots was 22.80 months, while those who received a placebo had a median survival of 20.30 months. However, the vaccine exhibited better outcomes when the study population was subdivided into those older than 65 and those younger than 65.
For the younger patients, 44% survived without exhibiting disease progression 12 months after getting the vaccine. For the placebo group, the fraction fell to 24 percent. At 30 months, 42% of the vaccine group remained alive, and follow-up data reveals no additional fatalities at the 54-month mark.
While the survival time attributed to the vaccine may appear short, GBM is notorious for claiming the lives of patients rather quickly, and any additional months of survival arising from a medical intervention is a huge plus.
The researchers are planning to schedule a meeting with the U.S. FDA to discuss the next steps leading to the vaccine’s approval. The success of those discussions and the publication of the study results could give glioblastoma patients an additional treatment option in a situation where alternatives have been limited.
The investigational vaccine was given to only patients that had been newly diagnosed and were undergoing three-pronged treatment protocols that included surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Whether or not the FDA eventually approves this vaccine remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, other entities like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are also making significant progress in their efforts to develop effective treatments indicated for brain cancers like glioblastoma. The success of such R&D programs could transform how brain cancers are treated.
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