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Cancer

Experimental Drug Avastin Shows Promise in Treating Glioblastoma

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Forsyth Regional Cancer Center at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC is participating in a national trial of the experimental drug Avastin to treat glioblastoma, a fast-growing tumor of the brain or spinal cord. This phase of the trial, testing the effectiveness of Avastin in conjunction with standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments for patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, aims to enroll 700 participants nationwide. Forsyth Regional Cancer Center is one of the first sites in the country to participate in this trial. With Avastin having shown promise in treating various types of cancer with a low risk of serious side effects, the hope is that it will improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors when combined with standard-of-care treatments.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Forsyth Regional Cancer Center is participating in a national trial of the experimental drug Avastin to treat glioblastoma, a fast-growing tumor of the brain or spinal cord.
  • The trial, testing the effectiveness of Avastin in conjunction with standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments, aims to enroll 700 participants nationwide, with Forsyth Regional Cancer Center as one of the first sites in the country to participate.
  • Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma in Forsyth County are more likely to be treated at Forsyth Medical Center, with three out of four patients being diagnosed at the hospital.
  • Eligible patients may qualify for enrollment if they are newly diagnosed adults able to undergo partial removal of their tumors.
  • Participants will remain in the study for up to one year after enrollment.
  • Avastin has been shown to be effective in treating various types of cancer with a low risk of serious side effects.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Avastin to treat glioblastomas that have not responded to other therapies based on results from two phase II studies.
  • The new study evaluates Avastin in newly diagnosed, never-treated glioblastoma patients.
  • Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor in humans, accounting for about half of all primary brain tumor cases.
  • Glioblastomas occur in only two to three cases per 100,000 people in North America and Europe.

Statistics:

  • 700: The number of participants to be enrolled in the national trial of Avastin for treating glioblastoma.
  • 336-277-8887: The phone number to call for more information about the clinical trial.
  • 100,000: The number of people in North America and Europe in which glioblastomas occur per year.
  • 2009: The year in which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Avastin to treat glioblastomas that have not responded to other therapies.

Sources:

  • PRWeb.com via COMTEX (Winston-Salem, NC, Jun 25, 2009)
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration (May, 2009)
  • Forsyth Medical Center (http://www.forsythmedicalcenter.org)
  • Novant Health (http://www.novanthealth.org)

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