The Development of Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma

Cancers (Basel). 2023 Aug 29;15(17):4308. doi: 10.3390/cancers15174308.

Abstract

Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that poses a significant challenge for treatment in neuro-oncology, and the survival status of patients after relapse usually means rapid deterioration, thus becoming the leading cause of death among patients. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma by stimulating the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, which could be used in combination with other treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to improve outcomes for patients with recurrent glioblastoma. This therapy combines several key methods such as the use of monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viral therapy cancer vaccines, and combination strategies. In this review, we mainly document the latest immunotherapies for the treatment of glioblastoma and especially focus on rGBM.

Keywords: CAR-T therapy; cancer vaccine; immune checkpoint inhibitor; immunotherapy; oncolytic viral therapy; recurrent glioblastoma.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This research is funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2022M720103), Postdoctoral Program of Sichuan Province (No. TB2022018), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2023SCU12052).