Fighting Glioblastoma With New Weapons: Emerging Clinical Trials

Many neuro-oncologists now encourage what’s often called a “Standard of Care Plus” approach when trying to tackle hard-to-treat cancers like glioblastoma.   That means receiving the best proven treatments available today plus actively exploring clinical trials that may improve outcomes tomorrow. “Standard of care is important,” physicians often say, “but it shouldn’t be the end of the conversation.”

One of the biggest hurdles in treating recurrent glioblastoma is the immune system itself. “Many of these patients are profoundly immunosuppressed,” explains Dr. Simon Khagi, a neuro-oncologist at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute in Newport Beach, California. Years of chemotherapy, steroid use, and the biology of the disease itself can leave patients with dangerously low lymphocyte counts — making traditional immunotherapies far less effective.”

The Search For New Treatments Holds Promise

That challenge, and the impetus to avoid chemotherapy, is at the heart of an early-phase clinical trial Dr. Khagi recently discussed with SurvivorNet: QUILT-3.078, a study evaluating a new combination of CAR-NK cell therapy with an IL-15 superagonist called ANKTIVA, alongside bevacizumab. The goal is not only to attack the tumor, but to restore immune function in patients whose defenses have been depleted.

“What stood out to us,” Dr. Khagi said, “was a significant increase in lymphocyte counts pretty much across the board in every patient — and those increases were sustained.” Importantly, he noted that rising immune cell levels appeared to correlate with tumor shrinkage seen on MRI scans. “There were characteristics on imaging that suggested a very profound volumetric response.”

While the study is still early and larger trials are needed, Khagi told SurvivorNet the preliminary data points are encouraging. “The signals are there,” he emphasized. “Now we need to expand the patient population and really answer these questions.”  Dr. Khagi will present the full summary of his team’s findings at a Stand Up To Cancer event in Pasadena, California this weekend.

Is Anktiva the Real Answer?

Anktiva has drawn a lot of attention in recent years, fueled in part by bold public statements from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire CEO of ImmunityBio, who has suggested the drug could play a major role in treating many different cancers.  But, according to the data available so far, the reality is more measured.  Anktiva is a drug designed to supercharge immune cells.  It is FDA-approved  in combination for certain patients with hard-to-treat bladder cancer.   But beyond that use, Anktiva is still very much being studied in combination with other agents in early trials like QUILT-3.078 for glioblastoma.

Turning to SurvivorNet for Help

For patients and families navigating a brain cancer diagnosis, or any cancer diagnosis, finding trials like this can feel overwhelming. That’s why SurvivorNet encourages patients to use its proprietary Clinical Trial Finder, a free tool designed to help patients identify relevant trials quickly and easily.

Every year, new early-phase studies come online , each one representing another step forward.  As Dr. Khagi put it, progress in glioblastoma won’t come from a single breakthrough, but from smart combinations, persistence, and continued participation in clinical trials that keep hope alive where it once didn’t exist.

 

For more information on how clinical trials work, Survivornet,com offers a helpful guide.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.