title: Cytomegalovirus-targeted immunotherapy and glioblastoma: hype or hope?
abstract: Malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma (GBM), are the most common primary brain tumors. Despite extensive research only modest gains have been made in long-term survival. Standard of care involves maximizing safe surgical resection followed by concurrent chemoradiation with temozolomide. Immunotherapy for GBM is an area of intense research in recent years. New immunotherapies, although promising, have not been integrated into standard practice. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a DNA virus of the family Herpesviridae. Human seroprevalence is approximately 80%, and in most cases, is associated with asymptomatic infection. HCMV may be an important agent in the initiation, promotion and/or progression of tumorigenesis. Regardless of a possible etiologic role in GBM, interest has centered on exploiting this association for development of immunomodulatory therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, 1400 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 442, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Sherise D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, 1400 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 442, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Visish M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael Gz
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ghali
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, 1400 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 442, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Amy B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Heimberger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D000077204:Temozolomide
chemical_list: D003606:Dacarbazine; D000077204:Temozolomide
keywords: adoptive transfer therapy; cytomegalovirus (CMV); dendritic cell; glioblastoma; glioma; immunotherapy