An Immunotherapuetic Approach To Treat Relapsed Low Grade Gliomas
The microarray gene expression analysis that we used to identify FGF1 overexpression in Olivia’s tumor also showed that a major difference between Olivia’s group of tumors, was that they were missing a host immune response, i.e. they were immune “cold”.
Over the past decade the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Laboratory in Denver has made a number of discoveries that demonstrate the involvement of immunity with cancer development and outcome in low grade glioma and other childhood brain tumors. These results have led us to open some of the first immunotherapy clinical trials in childhood brain tumors. The finding that Olivia’s group of tumors is immunologically “cold” suggests that these tumors are not benefitting from the anti-tumor immunity that is present in the majority of low grade glioma. Based on this knowledge we can design an immunotherapeutic approach specifically designed to reverse the weakened immunity seen in these tumors. Such an approach, termed “checkpoint blockade therapy” has been successfully utilized in recent breakthrough immunotherapy trials to treat more common adult tumors such as metastatic melanoma, utilizing drugs ipilimumab and nivolumumab. Our group is part of an upcoming national phase I clinical trial, with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, of nivolumab and ipilimumab in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory brain tumors. Based on our immunological findings of Olivia’s tumor, we will now ensure that relapsed or refractory low-grade gliomas are included in this trial.
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Over the past decade the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Laboratory in Denver has made a number of discoveries that demonstrate the involvement of immunity with cancer development and outcome in low grade glioma and other childhood brain tumors. These results have led us to open some of the first immunotherapy clinical trials in childhood brain tumors. The finding that Olivia’s group of tumors is immunologically “cold” suggests that these tumors are not benefitting from the anti-tumor immunity that is present in the majority of low grade glioma. Based on this knowledge we can design an immunotherapeutic approach specifically designed to reverse the weakened immunity seen in these tumors. Such an approach, termed “checkpoint blockade therapy” has been successfully utilized in recent breakthrough immunotherapy trials to treat more common adult tumors such as metastatic melanoma, utilizing drugs ipilimumab and nivolumumab. Our group is part of an upcoming national phase I clinical trial, with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, of nivolumab and ipilimumab in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory brain tumors. Based on our immunological findings of Olivia’s tumor, we will now ensure that relapsed or refractory low-grade gliomas are included in this trial.
{Read The Research Paper}