Encouraging results for oral treatment targeting aggressive brain tumors
Oral treatment showed efficacy in slowing the growth of aggressive meningiomas
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
A recent clinical study has found that an oral drug currently used to treat certain types of cancer may open a new avenue of hope for patients suffering from aggressive, hard-to-treat brain tumors, a development researchers described as “encouraging” in a field with limited treatment options.
The study, led by the US Oncology Research Alliance, showed that abemaciclib can slow the growth of high-grade meningiomas in patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations, according to results published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors and are often benign and treatable. However, some high-grade types are highly aggressive and may recur even after surgery and radiation therapy, making them life-threatening in many cases.
The clinical trial included patients with grade 2 and grade 3 meningiomas who had previously undergone surgery, radiation therapy, or both. Study participants received several cycles of abemaciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor currently approved for treating certain types of breast cancer.
Results showed that 58% of patients experienced no tumor progression during the first six months of treatment, a rate higher than that reported in previous studies of similar experimental therapies, which had disease control rates ranging from only 0% to 29% during the same period. The median progression-free survival was 10 months, while the median overall survival reached 29 months.
Dr. Priscilla Brastianos, a neuro-oncologist overseeing the study, stated that this trial is the first of its kind nationwide to select patients based on genetic analysis of their tumors, emphasizing that the results “demonstrate the feasibility of genetically targeted therapies for meningioma patients.”
Despite the positive outcomes, some patients experienced side effects similar to those known with CDK inhibitors, such as diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and nausea, while about a quarter of participants suffered severe side effects requiring medical follow-up.
Researchers view these findings not as the end of the road, but as a first step toward developing more effective treatment options for a patient population that has long lacked alternatives. They stress that larger studies will be necessary to confirm efficacy and identify which patients are most likely to benefit from this treatment.
