A combination therapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma maintains improvement in overall survival (OS) after 5 years, according to recently published results of a phase III trial.
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Tumor testing fields are an anti-mitotic, physical treatment modality. Optune (Novocure) is a medical device that delivers tumor testing fields to the brain and is an approved therapy option for recurrent glioblastoma.
Roger Stupp, MD, associate director for strategic initiatives, Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University (IL), and colleagues conducted an international, multicenter, prospective, randomized trial to investigate the effects of Optune therapy after adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide. Researchers analyzed survival data from 695 patients with a median follow-up of 40 months. Results of the of the study were presented at the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting (April 1-5, abstract CT007).
Researchers found that 2-year survival rates increased from 30% to 43% for patients treated with Optune plus temozolomide versus patients treated with temozolomide alone. Similarly, the 5-year survival rate increased from 5% to 13% in favor of the patients treated with Optune plus temozolomide. To date, these are the best reported results for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma in a phase III trial and represent clinically meaningful increases in survival rates (hazard ratio, 0.63; P < .00006).
Researchers also report that survival benefit was maintained in all patient subgroups, even those with the worst prognostic outlook.
“We are excited that combination therapy with Optune plus temozolomide continues to show a meaningful extension of long-term survival for newly diagnosed [patients with glioblastoma],” said Elizabeth M. Wilson, president and CEO, American Brain Tumor Association. “Before temozolomide was approved, newly diagnosed GBM patients only had a 1.9 percent five-year survival rate, so to see numbers that are over 6 times that rate shows the significant progress that has been made in treating this disease.” – Zachary Bessette
