Glioma future or investigational therapies

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]

• The use of oncolytic viruses or gene therapy using prodrug converting retroviruses and adenoviruses is being studied for the treatment of gliomas.^[1][2]

• A small number of low-scale clinical studies have shown possible links between prescription of Carphedon and improvement in a number of encephalopathic conditions, including lesions of cerebral blood pathways and certain types of glioma.

• American scientists are also studying the effects of Leiurus quinquestriatus scorpion (Israeli Yellow Scorpion) venom on glioma. They have successfully isolated the peptide chlorotoxin from the venom of the L. quinquestriatus scorpion by means of gel filtration chromatography. The peptide appears to target glioma-specific chloride ion channels within the cancerous glial cells of the brain, where it binds with a high affinity.

• In 2006, German physicians reported on a dose-escalation study for the compound AP 12009 (a phosphorothioate antisense oligodeoxynucleotide specific for the mRNA of human transforming growth factor TGF-beta2) in patients with high-grade gliomas. At the time of the report, the median overall survival had not been obtained and the authors hinted at a potential cure.

• As of 2006, additional research started within the past few years is ongoing. Some of the topics included in this research are:
  • efficiency of variations in radiotherapy procedures
  • drugs to stop the growth of tumors by preventing them to develop blood vessels
  • efficiency of combinations of different treatments
  • vaccination therapy.

• Although there have been individual cases of patients receiving an experimental treatment who still showed no signs of tumor 3 years or even more after the first diagnosis, often a new treatment for GBM will already be considered successful if it significantly increases the percentage of survivors after two years.

• A cancer vaccine “Oncophage” is currently showing great promise in clinical trails, 2007.

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