Brain tumor patients may live longer with new vaccine
A new vaccine may help patients with deadliest type of brain tumor, glioblastoma (GBM), live longer and even double their survival time according to a study.
The new vaccine targets an aggressive cancer gene called EGFRvIII that fuels glioblastomas and "seems to be twice as good as the standard therapy alone,” according to researcher John Sampson, professor of Neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center.
The research had 35 glioblastoma patients which were divided into two groups, patients of one group were vaccinated while the patients of the other group were not. All patients received the standard care of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
The results indicate that patients who received the vaccine in addition to the standard care extended their survival up to 26 months.
The vaccine is given to patients as a supplement to the standard therapy; researchers however believe a vaccine like this can one day be used to prevent the cancer.
GBM is the most common form of brain cancer with approximately 10,000 new cases reported annually in the Unites States.
Patients live on average 15 months after being diagnosed.