The current and future aspects of glioblastoma: Immunotherapy a new hope?

Eur J Neurosci. 2021 Aug;54(3):5120-5142. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15343. Epub 2021 Jun 29.

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most perilous and highly malignant in all the types of brain tumor. Regardless of the treatment, the diagnosis of the patients in GBM is very poor. The average survival rate is only 21 months after multimodal combinational therapies, which include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Due to the intrusive and infiltrative nature of GBM, it requires elective therapy for specific targeting of tumor cells. Tumor vaccine in a form of immunotherapy has potential to address this need. Nanomedicine-based immunotherapies have clutch the trigger of systemic and specific immune response against tumor cells, which might be the approach to eliminating the unrelieved cancer. In this mechanism, combination of immunomodulators with specific target and appropriate strategic vaccines can stifle tumor anti-immune defense system and/or increase the capabilities of the body to move up immunity against the tumor. Here, we explore the different types of immunotherapies and vaccines for brain tumor treatment and their clinical trials, which bring the feasibility of the future of personalized vaccine of nanomedicine-based immunotherapies for the brain tumor. We believe that immunotherapy could result in a significantly more stable reaction in GBM patients.

Keywords: clinical trials; glioblastoma; immunotherapies; nanomedicine; personalized vaccine.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Cancer Vaccines*
  • Glioblastoma* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Immunotherapy

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Immunologic Factors