Evolution of care for patients with relapsed glioblastoma

Abstract

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor in adults and has a poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate despite optimal care. The management of patients with relapsed glioblastoma is challenging, with no widely agreed standard of care. Different chemotherapy and radiotherapy combination treatment strategies provide only modest benefits. Recently, several novel agents, including bevacizumab and XL–184, have demonstrated promising results in Phase II trials with their further evaluation ongoing in Phase III randomized trials. Interpreting the data from such trials is a key challenge in glioblastoma, highlighting the need for relevant and standardized patient assessment techniques. Data from ongoing and planned trials should help to define optimal treatment strategies for this disease.

Keywords::

• bevacizumab
• chemotherapy
• glioblastoma
• radiotherapy
• response
• temozolomide

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Carmen Balañá is an investigator on the Roche-sponsored AVAGLIO (BO21990) study. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

The authors would like to acknowledge editorial support (English language, styling, formatting and referencing) from Gardiner-Caldwell Communications. This support was funded by F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.