title: Extended disease-free interval of 6 years in a recurrent glioblastoma multiforme patient treated with G207 oncolytic viral therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a relentless primary central nervous system malignancy that remains resistant to conventional therapy despite major advances in clinical neurooncology. This report details the case of a patient who had failed conventional treatment for recurrent GBM and was ultimately treated with a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 vector, G207.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report detailing the outcomes of one patient enrolled into the gene therapy arm of the Neurovir G207 protocol whereby stereotactic injection of 120 µL G207 viral suspension containing 1×10(7) plaque-forming units (or active viral particles) was made into the enhancing region of the tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this patient, despite aggressive surgical resection, adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, tumor progression occurred. However, with G207 oncolytic therapy and brief exposures to second and third treatments, this patient had an extended survival time of 7.5 years and a 6-year apparent disease-free interval, an extraordinarily unusual finding in the pretemozolomide era.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With minimal adjunctive chemotherapy, including one course of temozolomide, one course of procarbazine, and four cycles of irinotecan, the patient survived over 7 years before the next recurrence. Addition of G207 to this patient's traditional therapy may have been the critical treatment producing her prolonged survival. This report demonstrates the potential for long-term response to a one-time treatment with oncolytic HSV and encourages continued research on oncolytic viral therapy for GBM.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Thomas R
authors: TR
authors: Whisenhunt
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: Kiran F
authors: KF
authors: Rajneesh
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: James R
authors: JR
authors: Hackney
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Markert
keywords: HSV-1; herpes simplex; immunotherapy; malignant glioma; oncolytic virotherapy; tumor