title: Current Studies of Immunotherapy on Glioblastoma.
abstract: Glioblastoma is a form of brain tumor with a very high morbidity and mortality. Despite decades of research, the best treatments currently in clinical practice only extend survival by a number of months. A promising alternative to conventional treatment for glioblastomas is immunotherapy. Although proposed over a century ago, the field of cancer immunotherapy has historically struggled to translate it into effective clinical treatments. Better understanding is needed of the various regulatory and co-stimulatory factors in the glioblastoma patient for more efficient immunotherapy treatments. The tumor microenvironment is anatomically shielded from normal immune-surveillance by the blood-brain barrier, irregular lymphatic drainage system, and it's in a potently immunosuppressive environment. Immunotherapy can potentially manipulate these forces effectively to enhance anti-tumor immune response and clinical benefit. New treatments utilizing the immune system show promise in terms of targeting and efficacy. This review article attempts to discuss current practices in glioblastoma treatment, the theory behind immunotherapy, and current research into various clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Neena Stephanie
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Rickey
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Harshini
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahanti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Yaenette N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Dixon-Mah
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: DeCandio
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: W Alex
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Vandergrift
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Abhay K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Varma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Sunil J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA ; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Naren L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Banik
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lindhorst
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giglio
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences (Divisions of Neurology and Neurosurgery) & MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Arabinda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das