Dr. Heimberger on the Variability of Responses in Glioblastoma

Amy B. Heimberger, MD, Jean Malnati Miller Professor of Brain Tumor Research, professor of neurological surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, discusses the variability of responses in glioblastoma.

Some efficacy signals have been observed with immunotherapy in glioblastoma, says Heimberger. However, it is important to note that survival varies in this disease with some patients benefitting significantly more or less than median projections, Heimberger explains.

Research efforts have shown that some genetic features could be predictive of survival in patients with glioblastoma, says Heimberger. For example, IDH1 mutations, which are typically expressed in low-grade gliomas, are present in a subset of glioblastoma, Heimberger says. Patients with stage IV glioblastoma who harbor IDH1 mutations appear to have improved survival compared with patients who lack the mutation, Heimberger explains. As such, clinical trials in glioblastoma should account for these genetic features to interpret how patients respond to certain therapeutic approaches, concludes Heimberger.