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Acta Neurochirurgica Jul 2021High-grade gliomas (HGG) comprise the most common primary adult brain cancers and universally recur. Combination of re-irradiation therapy (reRT) and bevacizumab (BVZ)... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
High-grade gliomas (HGG) comprise the most common primary adult brain cancers and universally recur. Combination of re-irradiation therapy (reRT) and bevacizumab (BVZ) therapy for recurrent HGG is common, but its reported efficacy is mixed.
OBJECTIVE
To assess clinical outcomes after reRT ± BVZ in recurrent HGG patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), hypofractionated radiosurgery (HFSRT), or fully fractionated radiotherapy (FFRT).
METHODS
We performed a systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We identified studies reporting outcomes for patients with recurrent HGG treated via reRT ± BVZ. Cohorts were stratified by BVZ treatment status and re-irradiation modality (SRS, HFSRT, and FFRT). Outcome variables were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and radiation necrosis (RN).
RESULTS
Data on 1399 patients was analyzed, with 954 patients receiving reRT alone and 445 patients receiving reRT + BVZ. All patients initially underwent standard-of-care therapy for their primary HGG. In a multivariate analysis that adjusted for median patient age, WHO grade, RT dosing, reRT fractionation regimen, time between primary and re-irradiation, and re-irradiation target volume, BVZ therapy was associated with significantly improved OS (2.51, 95% CI [0.11, 4.92] months, P = .041) but no significant improvement in PFS (1.40, 95% CI [- 0.36, 3.18] months, P = .099). Patients receiving BVZ also had significantly lower rates of RN (2.2% vs 6.5%, P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
Combination of reRT + BVZ may improve OS and reduce RN rates in recurrent HGG, but further controlled studies are needed to confirm these effects.
Topics: Adult; Bevacizumab; Brain Neoplasms; Female; Glioma; Humans; Infant; Male; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Radiosurgery
PubMed: 33796887
DOI: 10.1007/s00701-021-04794-3 -
Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria Feb 2021Cancer patients in general and glioblastoma patients, in particular, have an increased risk of developing complications from the severe acute respiratory syndrome...
BACKGROUND
Cancer patients in general and glioblastoma patients, in particular, have an increased risk of developing complications from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and reaching a balance between the risk of exposure to infection and the clinical benefit of their treatment is ideal. The aggressive behavior of this group of tumors justifies the need for a multidisciplinary team to assist in clinical decisions during the current pandemic. Brazil is now ranked #2 in the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 pandemic, and existing disparities in the treatment of neuro-oncology patients in Brazil will challenge the clinical and surgical decisions of this population, possibly affecting global survival.
OBJECTIVE
To search the literature about the management of glioblastomas during COVID-19 pandemic to guide surgical and clinical decisions in this population of patients in Brazil.
METHODS
We performed a systematic search on the PubMed electronic database targeting consensus statements concerning glioblastoma approaches during COVID-19 pandemic up to July 18, 2020.
RESULTS
When approaching glioblastoma during the COVID-19 pandemic, important parameters that help in the decision-making process are age, performance status, tumor molecular profile, and patient consent. Younger patients should follow the standard protocol after maximal safe resection, mainly those with MGMT methylated tumors. Aged and underperforming patients should be carefully evaluated, and probably a monotherapy scheme is to be considered. Centers are advised to engage in telemedicine and to elaborate means to reduce local infection.
CONCLUSION
Approaching glioblastoma during the COVID-19 pandemic will be challenging worldwide, but particularly in Brazil, where a significant inequality of healthcare exists.
Topics: Aged; Brazil; COVID-19; Glioblastoma; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 33759984
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X-anp-2020-0434 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Mar 2021Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer. Approximately five in 100 people with glioblastoma survive for five years past diagnosis. Glioblastomas that have a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Prognostic value of test(s) for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation for predicting overall survival in people with glioblastoma treated with temozolomide.
BACKGROUND
Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer. Approximately five in 100 people with glioblastoma survive for five years past diagnosis. Glioblastomas that have a particular modification to their DNA (called methylation) in a particular region (the O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter) respond better to treatment with chemotherapy using a drug called temozolomide.
OBJECTIVES
To determine which method for assessing MGMT methylation status best predicts overall survival in people diagnosed with glioblastoma who are treated with temozolomide.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched MEDLINE, Embase, BIOSIS, Web of Science Conference Proceedings Citation Index to December 2018, and examined reference lists. For economic evaluation studies, we additionally searched NHS Economic Evaluation Database (EED) up to December 2014.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Eligible studies were longitudinal (cohort) studies of adults with diagnosed glioblastoma treated with temozolomide with/without radiotherapy/surgery. Studies had to have related MGMT status in tumour tissue (assessed by one or more method) with overall survival and presented results as hazard ratios or with sufficient information (e.g. Kaplan-Meier curves) for us to estimate hazard ratios. We focused mainly on studies comparing two or more methods, and listed brief details of articles that examined a single method of measuring MGMT promoter methylation. We also sought economic evaluations conducted alongside trials, modelling studies and cost analysis.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently undertook all steps of the identification and data extraction process for multiple-method studies. We assessed risk of bias and applicability using our own modified and extended version of the QUality In Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. We compared different techniques, exact promoter regions (5'-cytosine-phosphate-guanine-3' (CpG) sites) and thresholds for interpretation within studies by examining hazard ratios. We performed meta-analyses for comparisons of the three most commonly examined methods (immunohistochemistry (IHC), methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and pyrosequencing (PSQ)), with ratios of hazard ratios (RHR), using an imputed value of the correlation between results based on the same individuals.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 32 independent cohorts involving 3474 people that compared two or more methods. We found evidence that MSP (CpG sites 76 to 80 and 84 to 87) is more prognostic than IHC for MGMT protein at varying thresholds (RHR 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.71). We also found evidence that PSQ is more prognostic than IHC for MGMT protein at various thresholds (RHR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.84). The data suggest that PSQ (mainly at CpG sites 74 to 78, using various thresholds) is slightly more prognostic than MSP at sites 76 to 80 and 84 to 87 (RHR 1.14, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.48). Many variants of PSQ have been compared, although we did not see any strong and consistent messages from the results. Targeting multiple CpG sites is likely to be more prognostic than targeting just one. In addition, we identified and summarised 190 articles describing a single method for measuring MGMT promoter methylation status.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
PSQ and MSP appear more prognostic for overall survival than IHC. Strong evidence is not available to draw conclusions with confidence about the best CpG sites or thresholds for quantitative methods. MSP has been studied mainly for CpG sites 76 to 80 and 84 to 87 and PSQ at CpG sites ranging from 72 to 95. A threshold of 9% for CpG sites 74 to 78 performed better than higher thresholds of 28% or 29% in two of three good-quality studies making such comparisons.
Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Bias; Brain Neoplasms; Cohort Studies; CpG Islands; DNA Methylation; DNA Modification Methylases; DNA Repair Enzymes; Glioblastoma; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Temozolomide; Tumor Suppressor Proteins
PubMed: 33710615
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013316.pub2 -
Critical Reviews in Oncology/hematology Apr 2021Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain malignancy, is an exceptionally fatal cancer. Lack of suitable biomarkers and efficient treatment largely contribute to the... (Review)
Review
Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain malignancy, is an exceptionally fatal cancer. Lack of suitable biomarkers and efficient treatment largely contribute to the therapy failure. Cytoskeletal proteins are crucial proteins in glioblastoma pathogenesis and can potentially serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Among them, GFAP, has gained most attention as potential diagnostic biomarker, while vimentin and microtubules are considered as prospective therapeutic targets. Microtubules represent one of the best anti-cancer targets due to their critical role in cell proliferation. Despite testing in clinical trials, the efficiency of taxanes, epothilones, vinca-domain binding drugs, colchicine-domain binding drugs and γ-tubulin binding drugs remains to be confirmed. Moreover, tumor treating field that disrupts microtubules draw attention because of its high efficiency and is called "the fourth cancer treatment modality". Thereby, because of the involvement of cytoskeleton in key physiological and pathological processes, its therapeutic potential in glioblastoma is currently extensively investigated.
Topics: Biomarkers; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Glioblastoma; Humans; Prospective Studies; Tubulin
PubMed: 33667657
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2021.103283 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... Dec 2020To review evidence-based data on spontaneous retrogression of low-grade gliomas with respect to interval till regression, type of glioma and patient outcome. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To review evidence-based data on spontaneous retrogression of low-grade gliomas with respect to interval till regression, type of glioma and patient outcome.
METHODS
The systematic review comprised medical literature in English language published from January 1997 to January 2017 on Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar databases to establish consensus about the possible mechanism of spontaneous regression, the role of therapeutic intervention and failure of management strategies in low-grade gliomas. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed during the review.
RESULTS
Of the 176 articles identified, 73(41.5%) were shortlisted for detailed assessment. Of them, 10(13.7%) were included; 5(50%) case reports and 5(50%) case series. There were 23 cases of spontaneous regression; 15(65.2%) males and 8(34.7%) females. The interval of regression varied from 3 months to 15.5 years, and the most commonly presenting low-grade glioma type was optic pathway glioma 11(47.4%).
CONCLUSIONS
The phenomenon of regression was most evident in optic pathway glioma. Literature suggested that low-grade gliomas should undergo serial imaging before implying any therapeutic intervention. However, the evidencebased proof, large-scale experimental studies and ethical considerations are still required to standardise this strategy.
Topics: Astrocytoma; Brain Neoplasms; Consensus; Female; Glioma; Humans; Language; Male
PubMed: 33475560
DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.581 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2020The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and hyperglycemia with cancer patients remains controversial also in the setting of patients with glioblastoma...
The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and hyperglycemia with cancer patients remains controversial also in the setting of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of astrocytoma with a short overall survival (OS) and poor prognosis. A systematic search of two databases was performed for studies published up to 19 August 2020, reporting the OS of patients with DM2 or high blood sugar level and GBM and the clinical risk of diabetic patients for development of GBM. According to PRISMA guidelines, we included a total of 20 papers reporting clinical data of patients with GBM and diabetes and/or hyperglycemia. The aim of this review was to investigate the effect of DM2, hyperglycemia and metformin on OS of patients with GBM. In addition, we evaluated the effect of these factors on the risk of development of GBM. This review supports accumulating evidence that hyperglycemia, rather than DM2, and elevated BMI are independent risk factors for poor outcome and shorter OS in patients with GBM. GBM patients with normal weight compared to obese, and diabetic patients on metformin compared to other therapies, seems to have a longer OS. Further studies are needed to understand better these associations.
Topics: Comorbidity; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glioblastoma; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Risk Factors; Survival Analysis
PubMed: 33212778
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17228501 -
Cancer Letters Mar 2021Aberrant expression of certain genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) has been shown to drive cancer development and progression, thus the modification of aberrant gene and miRNA...
Aberrant expression of certain genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) has been shown to drive cancer development and progression, thus the modification of aberrant gene and miRNA expression presents an opportunity for therapeutic targeting. Ectopic modulation of a single dysregulated miRNA has the potential to revert therapeutically unfavorable gene expression in cancer cells by targeting multiple genes simultaneously. Although the use of noncoding RNA-based cancer therapy is a promising approach, the lack of a feasible delivery platform for small noncoding RNAs has hindered the development of this therapeutic modality. Recently, however, there has been an evolution in RNA nanotechnology, in which small noncoding RNA is loaded onto nanoparticles derived from the pRNA-3WJ viral RNA motif of the bacteriophage phi29. Preclinical studies have shown the capacity of this technology to specifically target tumor cells by conjugating these nanoparticles with ligands specific for cancer cells and resulting in the endocytic delivery of siRNA and miRNA inhibitors directly into the cell. Here we provide a systematic review of the various strategies, which have been utilized for miRNA delivery with a specific focus on the preclinical evaluation of promising RNA nanoparticles for glioblastoma (GBM) targeted therapy.
Topics: Glioblastoma; Humans; MicroRNAs; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; RNA, Small Interfering; RNA, Small Untranslated; RNAi Therapeutics; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
PubMed: 33176185
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.11.004 -
Neurosurgical Review Aug 2021Glioblastoma is associated with a poor prognosis. Even though survival statistics are well-described at the population level, it remains challenging to predict the... (Review)
Review
Glioblastoma is associated with a poor prognosis. Even though survival statistics are well-described at the population level, it remains challenging to predict the prognosis of an individual patient despite the increasing number of prognostic models. The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature on prognostic modeling in glioblastoma patients. A systematic literature search was performed to identify all relevant studies that developed a prognostic model for predicting overall survival in glioblastoma patients following the PRISMA guidelines. Participants, type of input, algorithm type, validation, and testing procedures were reviewed per prognostic model. Among 595 citations, 27 studies were included for qualitative review. The included studies developed and evaluated a total of 59 models, of which only seven were externally validated in a different patient cohort. The predictive performance among these studies varied widely according to the AUC (0.58-0.98), accuracy (0.69-0.98), and C-index (0.66-0.70). Three studies deployed their model as an online prediction tool, all of which were based on a statistical algorithm. The increasing performance of survival prediction models will aid personalized clinical decision-making in glioblastoma patients. The scientific realm is gravitating towards the use of machine learning models developed on high-dimensional data, often with promising results. However, none of these models has been implemented into clinical care. To facilitate the clinical implementation of high-performing survival prediction models, future efforts should focus on harmonizing data acquisition methods, improving model interpretability, and externally validating these models in multicentered, prospective fashion.
Topics: Algorithms; Clinical Decision-Making; Glioblastoma; Humans; Prognosis; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 33156423
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-020-01430-z -
JNCI Cancer Spectrum Oct 2020Brain tumors represent an important cause of cancer-related death in adolescents and young adults. Most are diagnosed in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed...
BACKGROUND
Brain tumors represent an important cause of cancer-related death in adolescents and young adults. Most are diagnosed in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to conduct the first, to our knowledge, systematic review of time trends and geographical variation in survival in this age group.
METHODS
We included observational studies describing population-based survival from astrocytic tumors in patients aged 15-39 years. We queried 6 electronic databases from database inception to December 31, 2019. This review is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42018111981.
RESULTS
Among 5640 retrieved records, 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All but 1 study focused on high-income countries. Five-year survival from astrocytoma (broad morphology group) mostly varied between 48.0% and 71.0% (1973-2004) without clear trends or geographic differences. Adolescents with astrocytoma had better outcomes than young adults, but survival values were similar when nonmalignant tumors were excluded. During 2002-2007, 5-year survival for World Health Organization grade I-II tumors was in the range of 72.6%-89.1% in England, Germany, and the United States but lower in Southeastern Europe (59.0%). Five-year survival for anaplastic astrocytoma varied between 39.6% and 55.4% (2002-2007). Five-year survival from glioblastoma was in the range of 14.2%-23.1% (1991-2009).
CONCLUSIONS
Survival from astrocytic tumors remained somewhat steady over time, with little change between 1973 and 2009. Survival disparities were difficult to examine, because nearly all the studies were conducted in affluent countries. Studies often adopted the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, which, however, did not allow to accurately describe variation in survival. Larger studies are warranted, including underrepresented populations and providing more recent survival estimates.
PubMed: 33134829
DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkaa049 -
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology Oct 2020Despite maximal surgical resection and chemoradiation, glioblastoma (GBM) continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Novel therapeutic...
INTRODUCTION
Despite maximal surgical resection and chemoradiation, glioblastoma (GBM) continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Given success in treating multiple other forms of cancer, checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy remains foremost amongst novel therapeutic strategies that are currently under investigation.
AREAS COVERED
Through a systematic review of both published literature and the latest preliminary data available from ongoing clinical studies, we provide an up-to-date discussion on the immune system in the CNS, a detailed mechanistic evaluation of checkpoint biology in the CNS along with evidence for disruption of these pathways in GBM, and a summary of available preclinical and clinical data for checkpoint blockade in GBM. We also include a discussion of novel, emerging targets for checkpoint blockade which may play an important role in GBM immunotherapy.
EXPERT OPINION
Evidence indicates that while clinical success of checkpoint blockade for the treatment of GBM has been limited to date, through improved preclinical models, optimization in the context of standard of care therapies, assay standardization and harmonization, and combinatorial approaches which may include novel targets for checkpoint blockade, checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy may yield a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of GBM.
Topics: Animals; Brain Neoplasms; Glioblastoma; Humans; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Immunotherapy; Molecular Targeted Therapy
PubMed: 32862726
DOI: 10.1080/17512433.2020.1817737