Researchers Determine How Brain Tumor Can Best Be Treated With New Test
Due to the large number of different cell types in brain tumors, which all respond to treatment in a different way, many patients relapse and the chance of a full recovery is very small. A new diagnostic test, developed by KU Leuven, indicates on the basis of a biopsy whether a treatment can attack all present tumor cells. As a result, it is possible to determine in advance which therapy is effective for each patient, so that no unnecessary treatments are started. The results of this research appear today in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences .
Every year, about 1,000 patients in Belgium are diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour. Standard treatment starts with surgical removal, if possible, followed by a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. Because brain tumors consist of many different types of cancer cells, the chance of recurrence is high and the chance of survival very small, despite the possible treatments. The need is therefore very high for effective therapies that kill all cancer cells so that patients can recover completely.
Previous clinical studies
“Various new glioblastoma therapies were tested in the past, but because only a small number of patients benefited from the treatment, clinical studies were not continued or there was no possibility for integration into the treatment schedule,” says Professor Frederik De Smet of the Department Imaging & Pathology at KU Leuven. “However, the patients who did respond well to the therapy could really be helped.”
The big advantage of our approach is that we do not develop new treatments, but reuse existing ones. As soon as our diagnostic test is ready, the therapies can quickly find their way back to the hospital.
Professor Frederik De Smet
That is why the researchers developed a new method to determine the most optimal therapy for each patient using some of the patient’s tumor cells obtained through a biopsy. They do this by briefly keeping the brain cells in the lab and testing different treatment options. “A small number of cells that survive the treatment is enough to make a tumor grow again. Our method allows us to easily investigate the effect of a drug on all cell types present in that patient, so that we can determine which specific therapy is suitable for a particular patient,” explains Professor De Smet.
Central European test hub
The model was developed for two previously tested treatments and based on animal models. “Before we can use the test in human patients, further clinical studies in the hospital are needed to validate our test,” says Professor De Smet. “We are currently also expanding our test with 15 other possible therapies and testing whether this method can also be applied to brain tumors in children.”
It often takes a long time before new treatments are used in the hospital because, after positive results in the lab, they still have to go through several clinical phases. “The big advantage of our approach is that we do not develop new treatments, but reuse existing ones. Previous clinical research has already shown that these are safe for administration to patients. As soon as our diagnostic test is ready, the therapies can quickly find their way back to the hospital,” says Professor De Smet.
Although, due to the cost price and special expertise, it will not be possible to carry out these experiments in every hospital. “What makes our method unique is the fact that it can take into account the heterogeneity of brain tumors. Because not every hospital has the right equipment, we eventually want to work with one central European test hub that can examine the various samples and provide treatment advice to local doctors.”
By testing in advance whether patients will benefit from a certain therapy, unnecessary treatments or investigations are not carried out. This saves time, as patients immediately receive the most effective treatment, and also ensures that they do not experience negative side effects from (expensive) treatments that do not work.