Vaccine Slows Glioblastoma In Phase II Trial:
[Abstract - medpagetoday]
"A novel vaccine appears to sharply extend life expectancy in people with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), according to results of a phase II clinical trial presented here today. The vaccine targets the epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), a tumor-specific cell surface protein expressed on about 30% of GBM tumors but absent on normal tissues, said Amy Heimberger, M.D., an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 'Median survival has not yet been reached' for the 23 patients enrolled in the clinical trial, conducted at M. D. Anderson and at Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Heimberger said in a statement before her presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons here. However, after an average of a year of follow-up, she said, median survival is at least 19 months. By contrast, she said, median survival is 14 months for patients with GBM who are treated with radiation and Temodar (temozolomide)...."