New drug delays progression of glioma, a deadly brain cancer

Key takeawaysA targeted therapy drug called vorasidenib had positive results in delaying progression of a specific form glioma, a slow-growing but deadly brain cancer.In a study of 331 people with the disease, the drug was effective in lengthening the period of time before the patients ’ cancer worsened, and with no observed adverse effects.New treatment approaches for glioma are needed because current treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, can cause neurological deficits.In an international study co-led by UCLA, scientists have shown that a new targeted therapy drug can extend the amount of time people with a subtype of glioma are on treatment without their cancer worsening. The finding suggests a possible new treatment option for people with  the slow-growing but deadly brain tumor.The team found the drug vorasidenib more than doubled progression-free survival in people with recurrent grade 2 glioma with IDH1 and IDH2 mutations. Compared with people who received a placebo, those who took vorasidenib went for nearly 17 more months without their cancer worsening, delaying the time before they needed to begin chemotherapy and radiation.The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society Clinical Oncology in Chicago.The type of glioma studied in the paper, recurrent grade 2 glioma with IDH1 and IDH2 mutations, tends to affect younger people, often those in their 30s. The current standa...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news