Khaberni - A recent clinical study revealed promising results for a drug treatment that may contribute to slowing the growth of aggressive meningiomas, which are among the most challenging brain tumors to treat.
The study showed that the drug "Abemaciclib", an orally administered treatment approved for certain types of cancer, may limit disease progression in patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations.
The trial focused on patients suffering from grade two or three meningiomas with mutations in the NF2 gene (which mainly functions to regulate cell division and prevent uncontrolled proliferation) or alterations in the CDK pathway (a series of molecular signals that regulate the cell division cycle and determine the timing of its transition from one stage to another during proliferation), tumors that often regrow despite surgery and radiation treatment - NF2 mutations weaken cell growth inhibition, while CDK pathway disruptions accelerate it.
Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors, originating in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Although most are benign or treatable, aggressive types can be lethal, with limited treatment options available to patients after conventional treatments fail.
In this context, Dr. Priscilla Brastianos, the study's lead author and a neuro-oncologist at the Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Institute, said, "Treatment options available for patients with high-grade recurrent or advanced meningiomas have been extremely limited, and most previous attempts at drug therapy have been disappointing."
Brastianos explained that this trial is the first national study designed based on the genetic analysis of patients with meningiomas, indicating that the results "demonstrate the potential of adopting a targeted treatment approach, and improving outcomes for patients carrying specific genetic mutations."
The trial included patients who had previously undergone surgery, radiation treatment, or both, receiving on average nine treatment cycles of the drug "Abemaciclib", a CDK pathway inhibitor currently used in the treatment of some types of breast cancer.
The results showed that 58% of the first 24 patients to receive the treatment saw no progression of their high-grade tumors during the first six months of treatment. The study did not include a control group, given the lack of an approved standard treatment for these cases after exhausting surgery and radiation treatment. However, the results appeared better compared to previous studies, which recorded disease stability rates ranging from 0% to 29% during the same period.
The average survival without disease progression was 10 months, while the average overall survival reached 29 months. Side effects were consistent with those known from CDK inhibitors, including diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and nausea or vomiting, while about a quarter of the patients suffered from severe side effects likely associated with the treatment.
Brastianos concluded by saying, "We are optimistic about these encouraging results, yet more research is needed to develop more effective treatments for this category of patients who have not received sufficient attention."
