Patient Trial Of Personalized Two-Drug Therapy For Brain Tumors Launched

[Bluebird]

06.04.2010
Avastin and Tarceva, which target different tumor-growth pathways, are being studied by the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, which includes 13 centers across the nation.

 
Patients suffering from recently diagnosed malignant brain tumors called glioblastoma multiforme or a rare variant called gliosarcoma may be eligible to participate in a Phase II clinical trial at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that combines two innovative drugs.

Cedars-Sinai’s Cochran Brain Tumor Center is the only site in California and one of only 13 in the nation offering this experimental therapy through the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative (BTTC) based at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Glioblastoma multiforme is a highly aggressive, treatment-resistant brain tumor. Even with standard therapies – surgery, chemotherapy and radiation – patient survival averages less than 15 months.
The two anticancer drugs, Avastin® (bevacizumab) and Tarceva® (erlotinib), work through different molecular mechanisms to attack brain tumors. Avastin inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein that contributes to the formation of blood vessels that tumors need for growth. Tarceva is designed to prevent tumor growth by blocking a signal pathway that controls cell division by binding to a cancer cell membrane receptor called epidermal growth factor (EGFR).
Although single-agent targeted therapies have not produced significant improvements in treating glioblastomas, laboratory experiments and studies in animals suggest that a combination approach may have greater impact. This two-drug combination is also in clinical trials for the treatment of other cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizin_gesundheit/patient_trial_personalized_drug_therapy_brain_tumors_151988.html

Kurze Zusammenfassung:
Am Cedars-Sinai’s Cochran Brain Tumor Center in California soll an Patienten mit Glioblastom bzw. Gliosarkom eine Kombination aus Avastin und Tarceva erprobt werden. Wenn auch die beiden Wirkstoffe, jeder für sich gesehen, bisher nicht den gewünschten Erfolg erbrachten, so war die Wirkung der  Kombination aus beiden Präparaten in Laborversuchen und an Tieren vielversprechend.

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