Some Brain Tumors May Respond to Immunotherapy, New Study Suggests

[D.ap]

Immunotherapy has proved effective in treating a number of cancers, but brain tumors have remained stubbornly resistant. Now, a new study suggests that a slow-growing brain tumor arising in patients affected by neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) may be vulnerable to immunotherapy, which gives the immune system a boost in fighting cancer.

The findings, made by an international consortium led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, were published online today in Nature Medicine.

An estimated 100,000 individuals in the United States have NF1, a hereditary disease that can lead to the development of tumors throughout the nervous system, including a type of brain tumor called a glioma. Children usually have a slow-growing type of glioma, whereas adults often have a more aggressive type.

But whether slow-growing or not, gliomas are difficult to treat. Most are highly resistant to chemotherapy, and radiotherapy can aggravate, rather than relieve, symptoms, such as headaches and seizures. Since the tumors typically engulf delicate brain regions, surgery is rarely an option.

Immunotherapy has been successful for some patients with melanoma, lymphoma, and a few other types of cancer. But clinical trials have shown that, so far, it is ineffective for brain cancers in general.




https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/som ... y-suggests

[D.ap]

Cancer. An estimated 3 to 5 percent of people with NF1 develop cancerous tumors. These usually arise from neurofibromas under the skin or from plexiform neurofibromas. People with NF1 also have a higher risk of other forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, leukemia, brain tumors and some types of soft tissue cancer.Aug 11, 2017

http://www.healthcommunities.com/neurof ... osis.shtml


“Plexiform neurofibromas are a common complication of neurofibromatosis. These predominantly inherited tumors can occur anywhere in the body, including the head and neck, extremities, areas around the spine and deep in the body where they may affect organs.“