Despite the technological advancements in medicine, there is a dire need for innovation in treatment strategies for some serious conditions. For instance, a type of cancer called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a challenge among medical experts since it is known for being aggressive and being hard to treat.
Just recently, a new treatment was introduced that sheds light on cancer treatment. A group of scientists developed a type of hydrogel that can remove traces of glioblastoma tumors and prevent them from coming back. When tested on mice, it showed a 100 % survival rate. It is still unsure whether the same level of success will be evident in humans, but this discovery brings new hope in cancer treatment.
What Is Glioblastoma?
Glioblastoma is a devastating type of brain cancer that could lead to death in six months or less. Although GBM is known for being aggressive, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons confirms that it only invades distant brain tissue but it does not spread to nearby organs.
GBM is characterized by abnormal tumors which create new blood vessels as it grows and spreads. According to John Hopkins Medicine, the cause of GBM is still unknown and it is also not hereditary. Although it can affect children, it is much more common in adults.
Surgery is currently the standard treatment for glioblastoma, followed by radiation and oral chemotherapy. In 2013, the FDA approved the chemotherapy drug temozolomide in combination with radiation therapy as a treatment of newly diagnosed GBM. However, not all tumor cells are killed in this regimen that is why experts seek to find new treatment strategies.
Two-in-One Treatment Strategy
One of the reasons why the conventional chemotherapy seems ineffective against GBM is the presence of blood brain barrier that blocks the drug from being evenly distributed to the tumor. This results to sub-therapeutic concentrations in the brain and other extreme side effects.
To address this challenge, researchers led by Betty Tyler, professor of neurosurgery from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, developed a strategy in wiping out the traces of brain cancer in mice. Described as "drug-delivered-by-drug" approach, the treatment which was reported in PNAS includes a hydrogel applied after tumor removal. It works by evenly covering the cancer cavity left after surgery and releasing a type of antibody known as aCD47.
At the center of the gel is the chemotherapy drug known as paclitaxel which is commonly used in making nanofilaments for brain insertion. It has already been approved for the treatment of certain forms of cancer, such as breast cancer and lung cancer. In case of brain cancer, the success lies in delivery method.
What makes this hydrogel special is its ability to deliver both drugs and antibodies at the same, a promising feat in both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Until now, scientists face the challenge of combining them due to the differences in their molecular structures.
However, it is important to note that surgery is still required for the successful removal of the original tumor. When the researchers tried to apply the hydrogel without surgery, only 50% survival rate was observed.
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