Some Considerations About Treatment Options Of Glioblastoma Multiforme

Here we are at the twenty-first and final episode of the Ben Williams guide translation project on treatment options for Glioblastoma Multiforme. This is chapter 15 of the guide. In this episode some final considerations are drawn, a balance and some general suggestions are made. The advice is still to use this information to discuss it with the medical team that is following you. The problem is therefore that of finding a medical team that is open to trying new ways to support the standard protocol, given the severity of the disease.
The Glioblastoma.it fundraising campaign for CUSP-ND for Emanuele continues. Now the translation project of the guide is complete and the preparation of a single volume that can be downloaded as an ebook or possibly purchased in paper format will begin. The proceeds from any offers will be used to raise funds and I will shortly also communicate important news on the objective clinical trial. Meanwhile, select the link and share it in order to raise awareness as many people as possible. Is very important. Enjoy the reading!

Over the years, information on treatment options has expanded, making it increasingly difficult for the newly diagnosed patient, or their families, to choose the best treatment plan to follow. Keep in mind that the writer of this guide is not a physician with direct contact with patients and the valuable information that comes with it. On the other hand, the views of the author of this document are not bound by the conventions of the medical system, which often lead oncologists to consider only some of the possible options.

The first piece of advice is therefore to seek treatment in a specialized center for the treatment of brain tumors. Surgical techniques are more likely to be state-of-the-art in these centers, which in turn means that the patient will be more likely to receive a complete resection, which is not an important factor in achieving longer survival. The centers were also better equipped to store tumor samples which will allow for various tests on genetic markers that give important information on which treatments are most likely to be successful on the individual patient. Patients should request prior to surgery that their tumor tissue be frozen and stored for later use.

Unlike a decade ago, there are now many more effective treatment options and treatment protocols, although many of the more promising treatments are still in clinical trials and are not generally available. Vaccines and viral therapies such as CMV pp65 targeted dendritic cell vaccine (preferably combined with tetanus-diphtheria toxoid preconditioning and / or basiliximab) for newly diagnosed GBM and therapies for recurrent GBM such as polio-rhinovirus and adenovirus DNX-2401 achieved significant significant results in the early stages of trials and are currently recruiting patients. The recently launched trials combining vaccines with PD-1 antibodies are likely the next step in the advancement of immunotherapy for high-grade gliomas (NCT02529072, NCT02798406). The Optune device has been approved by the FDA and since July 2016 and has been added to the NCCN guidelines as a standard treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Patients not eligible for inclusion in promising clinical trials can still make use of the other options described in this document, such as repurposed drugs, non-prescription supplements, dietary interventions, and can work on lifestyle. While such an experimental approach is best done in collaboration with an experienced physician, the absence of a truly effective standard of care for this disease means that self-experimentation of the patient is inevitable, with or without the guidance of a licensed physician. This document aims to provide information to make this approach as informed and educated as possible, with the ultimate goal of improving results beyond what is expected with standard treatments only. Additional resources are available at the following links as well as in different sections of the website www.glioblastoma.it:

• Virtualtrials.com (this is the site managed by the Musella foundation that I have often told you about),
• Surviving terminal cancer (this is the film that tells the story of Ben Williams),
• Anti Cancer Alliance (this is a site that includes information on CUSP-ND clinical trial),
• Astrocytomaoptions.com (this is a site dedicated to Astrocytoma but not only),
• Our brain tumor cocktails and stories (it’s an online forum with lots of useful information).

Well! I hope you enjoyed reading, I was as faithful as possible. The guide translation project is now finally complete. It has been a long journey that has taken me a lot in recent months but I am already looking forward to starting new projects, always with the help of Emanuele who gives me the strength to move forward!