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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Gliomas

  • Neuro-oncology (S Nagpal, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Malignant gliomas result in disproportionately high morbidity and mortality compared with other primary tumors, and progression of disease is inevitable. Novel therapies to improve outcomes are needed and immune checkpoint inhibitors hold significant promise.

Recent Findings

A limited body of preclinical evidence suggests that checkpoint inhibitors may be effective treatment for gliomas. Biomarkers to identify characteristics of gliomas responsive to these therapies will be essential. These may include mismatch repair deficiency and high mutational load that might be germline, somatic, or acquired after therapy. Evidence on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in gliomas is evolving. Clinical trials are underway and results are eagerly awaited.

Summary

Understanding the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with other treatment modalities for gliomas is crucial to the improvement of outcomes. The design and conduct of future clinical trials need to account for increasingly complex treatment options.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend special thanks to Rhana Pike for her editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Reserve Rd, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia

    Aaron C. Tan

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Holcombe Blvd., FC7.2000, Unit Number: 442, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Amy B. Heimberger

  3. NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Locked Bag 77, Camperdown, NSW, 1450, Australia

    Mustafa Khasraw

Authors
  1. Aaron C. Tan
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  2. Amy B. Heimberger
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  3. Mustafa Khasraw
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Correspondence to Mustafa Khasraw.

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Conflict of Interest

Aaron C. Tan declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Amy B. Heimberger has received clinical trial funding from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and owns stock and serves on the advisory board of Caris Life Sciences.

Mustafa Khasraw has received research funding from AbbVie and Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA) and serves on the advisory board of AbbVie, STA, Eli Lilly and BMS.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Neuro-oncology

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Tan, A.C., Heimberger, A.B. & Khasraw, M. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Gliomas. Curr Oncol Rep 19, 23 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-017-0586-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-017-0586-5

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