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Leading news
2020 International Brain Tumour Awareness Week will be Saturday 24th October - Saturday 31st October inclusive
The 14th International Brain Tumour Awareness Week will be held from Saturday, 24th October 2020 to Saturday 31st October 2020 inclusive. We encourage you to organise an activity which will contribute to increased awareness about brain tumours. It could be a walk (see information about the Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours on our Awareness Raising page), a picnic, an information seminar, a scientific conference, or the distribution of a media statement which draws attention to the particular challenges of a brain tumour and the need for a special response and an increased research effort.
Please register/report your Awareness Week activity by completing this form.
Large collaborative review sets first international standards for quality of life analysis in cancer clinical trials
A policy review paper developed by a diverse panel of stakeholders and published in The Lancet Oncology has for the first time established international standards for the analysis of quality-of-life and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in cancer randomised controlled trials. The recommendations for PRO analysis were developed through critical literature reviews and a structured process led by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s (EORTC) SISAQOL Consortium (Setting International Standards in Analysing Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Endpoints Data). IBTA Chair and Co-Director Kathy Oliver is a co-author of The Lancet Oncology paper. Read more.
March is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in the UK
March 1st, marks the start of Brain Tumour Awareness Month in the United Kingdom, which sees cancer and brain tumour organisations in the UK run a variety of public engagement events and fundraising activities. Search ‘Brain Tumour Awareness Month UK’ or contact your local UK brain tumour organisation to find out more.
Important review paper concludes that patient reported outcomes should be central to glioma trials
Also published in The Lancet Oncology, a policy review article from the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) group has stressed the importance of monitoring quality of life measures and setting patient-reported outcome (PRO) endpoints in all glioma trials. The collaborative review concluded that important symptoms worth measuring fall into five categories including pain, difficulty communicating, perceived cognition, seizures, and symptomatic adverse events. Functional issues can be divided into physical functioning, including weakness or walking, and ‘role functioning’ – the ability to work or participate in social or leisure activities. Read more (requires free registration).
Study analysing the evolutionary history of 2,658 cancers reveals that genetic changes leading to glioblastoma arise ‘very early in patient’s lifetime”
A large international collaborative study, published in the journal Nature, has found that cancer-causing mutations may occur decades before diagnosis, raising the possibility of earlier detection and new targeted therapies. An international collaboration of over 1300 scientists known as the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) analysed the whole genomes of over 2600 tumours from 38 different cancer types to reconstruct the time course of genetic changes during cancer development. In a number of cancers, mutations in DNA are detectable many years before a diagnosis is made, offering the potential for better detection tools and new treatment opportunities. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used to help create tumour development timelines for several cancer types including glioblastoma, and showed that genetic changes leading to glioblastoma appear to arise “very early in a patient’s lifetime”. Read more.
US FDA releases ‘Expanded Access’ video explaining how patients can access experimental treatments
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has produced a video explaining their ‘Expanded Access’ (also known as ‘compassionate use’) programme in the USA. Featuring a case study of a child patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), the eight-minute video describes how patients can access investigational therapies or medical devices. For conditions where conventional treatments are limited – such as brain tumours – the US FDA encourages patients in the USA to follow a five-step process, which is described in the video. Historically, the FDA has allowed the majority of expanded access requests to proceed. Watch online.
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Research news
Maximal resection linked to better survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, study finds
A large, retrospective study of newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients published in JAMA Oncology has found that maximal resection of contrast-enhanced tumour was linked with longer overall survival. The multi-institutional study of 761 patients analysed the association between the extent of resection and survival outcomes in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients. In patients aged under 65, resection of contrast-enhanced and non–contrast enhanced tumours was associated with improved overall survival, irrespective of their IDH mutation and MGMT methylation status. The paper’s authors say that this information may aid in surgical planning for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Read more.
Brain tumour research is highlighted in ASCO's 15th annual report on progress against cancer
Two important advances in brain tumour care have been highlighted in the recently published ‘Clinical Cancer Advances 2020: Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer From the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’. This 15th annual report discusses the most impactful research advances of the past year and identifies cancer research priorities to accelerate progress against cancer. The sections ‘Addition of Lomustine to Temozolomide Improves Survival in Glioblastoma’ and ‘Promising Results of the Use of the MEK Inhibitor Selumetinib for the Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Refractory Low-Grade Gliomas’ give a summary on promising clinical trial results in the neuro-oncology field. The full report can be read here.
Global surveillance of trends in cancer survival rates across 71 countries published, revealing international disparities
The latest dataset from CONCORD-3 – a global programme for the worldwide surveillance of cancer – has been published in The Lancet. The CONCORD-3 project has recorded global five-year survival for patients diagnosed with cancer over the 15 years between 2000 and 2014, allowing for international comparison of trends in the overall effectiveness of health systems in dealing with cancer. In the dataset, age-standardised 5-year survival for adult brain tumours ranged from 14.7% to above 40%. Read more. The full report is available online here. Comparison tables of the data are available online here.
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that predicts meningioma patient outcome, study reports
A team of researchers from Canada reports that they have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system able to predict individual outcomes in patients with meningioma, according to a paper published in npj Digital Medicine. They trained machine learning algorithms on data from more than 62,000 meningioma patients to find patterns of association between malignancy, survival, and a series of basic clinical variables—such as tumour size, location, and surgical procedure. A free smartphone and web application has been developed for clinicians and researchers to access and test the predictive models (available at www.meningioma.app), Stressing the need for further refinements using larger datasets that include brain imaging and molecular data, it is hoped that the software will be further developed into a platform that can be used in every day clinical practice. Read more.
Research paper proposes cancer vaccine that may amplify immunotherapy effectiveness
Research published in Nature Communications has found that it may be possible to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy via activation of a protein called APOBEC3B. This molecule is known to increase cancer cell mutation rate, ordinarily accelerating disease. However, this research found that driving this protein’s activity simultaneously made glioma cancer cells more vulnerable to immunotherapy. Researchers found that the highly mutated cancer cells could be used to create a vaccine for each individual cancer type, which amplified the effects of immunotherapy – and proved effective in mice with a variety of otherwise treatment-resistant tumours, including glioma. Read more.
Modified poliovirus primes the immune system to attack paediatric brain tumour, animal study shows
Lab studies on mice and human cancer cells published in Nature Communications have shown that a modified poliovirus developed as a glioblastoma therapy appears also to have effect as a cancer vaccine on diffuse midline glioma (DMG) brain tumours. Researchers fused two virus types to create a polio-rhinovirus chimera (PVSRIPO), which was modified to express a tumour antigen found in DMG. This modified virus was able to infect and induce the activity of dendritic cells – a type of immune cell that primes an immune attack on the tumour. It is hoped that the vaccine approach will continue to be tested with the goal of initiating a phase 1 clinical trial. Read more.
New blood test to diagnose pituitary brain tumour subtype may be possible, according to study
It may be possible to diagnose certain types of pituitary tumours with a blood test alone, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Researchers studied 47 pituitary adenoma patients of different subtypes by collecting blood during surgery. They found in patients with the prolactinoma subtype of pituitary gland brain tumours that they had elevated levels of BHB (betahydroxybutyrate) in their blood. This compound is released from the liver during starvation and malnutrition, helping to supply energy to the brain, thus suggesting that the tumours trigger BHB release to help them grow. The researchers hope that these findings could be used to inform a diagnostic blood test for distinguishing pituitary brain tumour subtypes. A larger study is reported to be underway to validate these results. Read more.
Research finds that studying glioma in dogs may lead to breakthroughs in humans
A new study published in Cancer Cell that analysed the genetic and molecular characteristics of 83 glioma brain tumours in dogs found that these animals’ brain tumours have a high similarity in molecular profile to human paediatric and adult gliomas. Researchers suggest that studying canine glioma models may offer unique insights not possible with other animal-based experiments. Read more.
Promising results in phase 2 clinical trial of everolimus and octreotide in recurrent meningioma published
Published in Clinical Cancer Research, results from a phase 2 trial of the drugs everolimus and octreotide in recurrent meningioma have shown clinical effect. A total of 20 patients with recurrent tumour progression ineligible for further surgery/radiotherapy were enrolled in the CEVOREM trial, including two with World Health Organization (WHO) grade I tumours, ten with WHO grade II tumours, and eight with WHO grade III tumours. The results showed that the drug combination had a positive effect clinically and radiologically, warranting further study. Read more (abstract only)
Phase 3 STELLAR trial recruiting at more sites internationally
Enrolment is now open for the STELLAR trial, which is evaluating the oral targeted therapy eflornithine oral solution in recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma. The phase 3 study compares the efficacy and safety of oral eflornithine in combination with oral chemotherapy agent lomustine, compared to oral lomustine taken alone. Eligible patients include those with anaplastic astrocytoma that has recurred or progressed after radiation therapy and temozolomide chemotherapy. Clinical trial sites are at a variety of selected medical centers in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Patients and healthcare professionals can find out more on the STELLAR website here.
Ebola virus gene may be used to target and destroy brain tumour cells, study finds
A virus genetically engineered to carrying a specific gene (MLD) from the Ebola virus will target and destroy glioblastoma tumour cells, according to results from lab-based experiments published in the Journal of Virology. The researchers describe how the MLD (mucin-like domain) portion of a particular glycoprotein on the Ebola virus helps the pathogen evade the immune system and so infect healthy cells. A chimera virus was made from a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that carried MLD which, when injected into animals with glioblastoma tumours, appeared to target and destroy the tumour cells, while not infecting healthy cells, thereby extending survival. Read more.
Research project sets out to create blood test to diagnose and monitor brain tumours
The University of Bristol, UK, has announced the start of a cross-disciplinary research project that is seeking to develop a blood test capable of diagnosing and monitoring brain tumours. In addition to medical practitioners and brain tumour patient advocacy organisations, the project involves experts in nanoparticle engineering and detection, as well as computational modelling. The project aims to discover new biomarkers of brain tumours in the blood, devise a computational model to predict biomarker levels in blood; develop a fluorescent nanoparticle that can label this marker in blood; and work with the UK company FluoretiQ towards an affordable near patient testing solution. Read more.
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Company news
CNS Pharmaceuticals announces collaboration with WPD Pharmaceuticals to commence phase 1 trial of berubicin in paediatric brain tumours in Poland
CNS Pharmaceuticals has announced it will collaborate with WPD Pharmaceuticals to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in Poland of the anthracycline anticancer agent berubicin in paediatric brain tumours. Berubicin (also known as RTA 744) has previously shown clinical effect in phase 1 recurrent glioblastoma trials. This new trial is to take place in the Memorial Health Institute ("Children's Memorial") in Warsaw, Poland. Read more (Company press release).
1ST Biotherapeutics and twoXAR Pharmaceuticals announce three potential glioblastoma drugs to enter animal testing
1ST Biotherapeutics and twoXAR Pharmaceuticals have announced they will advance three novel drug candidates for the potential treatment of glioblastoma into animal efficacy testing less than one year from launching their drug discovery collaboration. twoXAR Pharmaceuticals is a company that discovers drugs with AI (artificial intelligence). Using twoXAR Pharmaceuticals’ drug discovery platform has allowed potential drug targets to be found with “unprecedented” speed, according to a company press release. Read more (Company press release).
WPD Pharmaceuticals announces data showing WP1066 effect in preclinical glioblastoma studies, and has received FDA approval or IND status in paediatric brain tumours
WPD Pharmaceuticals has announced publication in Neuro-Oncology Advances of animal experiment results showing that its STAT3 inhibitor WP1066 appears to reprogram the immune system to attack glioblastoma cells, reducing tumour growth when combined with radiotherapy. Read more (Company press release). In a separate announcement, WPD Pharmaceuticals has announced that through Moleculin Biotec, WPD’s license partner, WP1066 has received FDA approval for Investigational New Drug ("IND") status to be used in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of children with recurrent or refractory malignant brain tumours. Read more (Company press release).
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Community news
Patients, advocates, carergivers are invited to take EORTC survey
The EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) is asking patients, patient advocates, cancer survivors and caregivers to complete a short anonymous survey to find out about how well the organisation communicates externally and whether their information (including about clinical trials) is reaching its target audience. The survey can be completed in a few minutes and has been compiled by the EORTC patient panel and EORTC communication working group. The survey can be taken here.
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Save the date
2020
July
The Society for Neuro-Oncology Sub-Saharan Africa (SNOSSA) will hold its 3rd Annual Meeting on July 24th-26th, 2020 in Accra, Ghana. Targeted participants include oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, paediatric oncologists, patient advocates, trainees, and anyone else who is interested in improving the care for brain tumour patients in the region. The 2020 conference will explore the past, present and future of brain tumour treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Follow @snossa1 on Twitter or like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/snossa.admin/ for more details on the conference as the date approaches.
October
17th Annual Meeting of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (conference details not yet posted.)
28-31 October 2020
Bali, Indonesia
November
25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO 2020)
18-22 November 2020
Austin, Texas, USA
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Upcoming events
Upcoming scientific conferences: 2020
March
Multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology Symposium: Updates in Medical and Surgical Management of Brain Tumors 2020
6-7 March 2020
Orlando, Florida, USA
26th Annual Blood-Brain Barrier Consortium Meeting
12-13 March 2020
Portland, Oregon, USA
EANO Winter School - Advances in Neuro-Oncology: how to translate into clinic
12-14 March 2020
Warsaw, Poland
May
Cancer Research UK Brain Tumour Conference
12-14 May 2020
London, UK
20th Biennial Canadian Neuro-Oncology Meeting
14-17 May 2020
Ottawa, Canada
6th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology
23-26 May 2020
Paris, France
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2020 Annual Meeting
29 May-2 June 2020
Chicago, Illinois, USA
June
Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium 22nd Annual Meeting (BTEC 2020): "Brain Tumor Biomarkers: For Research, Clinics and Registries"
10-12 June 2020
Lyon, France
ABSTRACTS now being accepted here (Deadline March 9, 2020) and REGISTRATION is open here (‘Early bird’ rates end April 30, 2020).
19th International Symposium on Pediatric Oncology (ISPNO 2020)
(Introductory video can be viewed here)
21-24 June 2020
Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan
Brain Tumors Meeting 2020
22-24 June 2020
Warsaw, Poland
August
2nd Harvard Asia-Pacific Neuro-Oncology CME Conference
3-7 August 2020
Lahaina, Hawaii, USA
Brain Tumors - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Course
4-10 August 2020
Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
2nd Annual SNO Conference on Brain Metastases
13-15 August 2020
Toronto, Canada
September
15th Congress of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO)
10-13 September 2020
Glasgow, UK
October
The Royal Marsden Neuro-Oncology Conference: Low Grade Gliomas - The Bigger Picture
15 October 2020
London, UK
13th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Co-operative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO)
18-20 October 2020
Melbourne, Australia
17th Annual Meeting of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO)
28-31 October 2020
Bali, Indonesia
November
25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO 2020)
18-22 November 2020
Austin, Texas, USA
If you are organising or are aware of a forthcoming patient or brain tumour advocacy event or a scientific conference taking place in 2020 or 2021 then please let us know by emailing chair@theibta.org so that we can also include it on our events page.
Keep up to date with future scientific conferences and events on the IBTA website conferences page here.
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The International Brain Tumour Alliance was established in 2005. It is a network of support, advocacy and information groups representing brain tumour patients and carers in different countries and also includes researchers, scientists, clinicians and allied health professionals who work in the field of brain tumours.
For more information, please visit www.theibta.org.
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We love to hear from you if you have any news that you would like to share with the IBTA community. Just send us an email: chair@theibta.org.
We will do our best to relay as much information as possible to our subscribers via this monthly newsletter and our website. The selection of e-News entries is at the sole discretion of the editors.
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