Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma invariably recurs despite aggressive and multimodal first-line treatment and no standardized second-line therapy exists. We previously reported that treatment with the antiviral drug valganciclovir as an add-on to standard therapy significantly prolonged overall survival in 102 patients...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/8/1958 |
| _version_ | 1797436489391407104 |
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| author | Mattia Russel Pantalone Afsar Rahbar Cecilia Söderberg-Naucler Giuseppe Stragliotto |
| author_facet | Mattia Russel Pantalone Afsar Rahbar Cecilia Söderberg-Naucler Giuseppe Stragliotto |
| author_sort | Mattia Russel Pantalone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glioblastoma invariably recurs despite aggressive and multimodal first-line treatment and no standardized second-line therapy exists. We previously reported that treatment with the antiviral drug valganciclovir as an add-on to standard therapy significantly prolonged overall survival in 102 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma compared to contemporary controls. Here we present the results of retrospective survival analyses including patients with glioblastoma that initiated valganciclovir therapy after recurrence. Twenty-nine patients with recurrent glioblastoma received valganciclovir as an add-on to second-line therapy at Karolinska University Hospital. Contemporary controls were 109 patients with glioblastoma who received similar second-line therapy at our institution. We retrospectively analyzed survival data of these patients. Patients with recurrent glioblastoma who received valganciclovir had longer median overall survival after recurrence than controls (12.1 vs. 7.4 months, respectively, <i>p</i> = 0.0028). The drug was well tolerated. Both patients who underwent re-operation and patients that were not re-operated after recurrence benefitted significantly from valganciclovir therapy. Valganciclovir prolonged survival after recurrence both in patients with an unmethylated and methylated MGMT promoter gene. Valganciclovir was safe to use and prolonged median survival after recurrence for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, re-operated or not after recurrence, and with methylated or unmethylated MGMT promoter gene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:03:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8deb2b3426c74e529d08ae9488372f23 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:03:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-8deb2b3426c74e529d08ae9488372f232023-12-01T01:06:56ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942022-04-01148195810.3390/cancers14081958Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent GlioblastomaMattia Russel Pantalone0Afsar Rahbar1Cecilia Söderberg-Naucler2Giuseppe Stragliotto3Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Solna, SwedenMicrobial Pathogenesis Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Solna, SwedenMicrobial Pathogenesis Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Solna, SwedenMicrobial Pathogenesis Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Solna, SwedenGlioblastoma invariably recurs despite aggressive and multimodal first-line treatment and no standardized second-line therapy exists. We previously reported that treatment with the antiviral drug valganciclovir as an add-on to standard therapy significantly prolonged overall survival in 102 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma compared to contemporary controls. Here we present the results of retrospective survival analyses including patients with glioblastoma that initiated valganciclovir therapy after recurrence. Twenty-nine patients with recurrent glioblastoma received valganciclovir as an add-on to second-line therapy at Karolinska University Hospital. Contemporary controls were 109 patients with glioblastoma who received similar second-line therapy at our institution. We retrospectively analyzed survival data of these patients. Patients with recurrent glioblastoma who received valganciclovir had longer median overall survival after recurrence than controls (12.1 vs. 7.4 months, respectively, <i>p</i> = 0.0028). The drug was well tolerated. Both patients who underwent re-operation and patients that were not re-operated after recurrence benefitted significantly from valganciclovir therapy. Valganciclovir prolonged survival after recurrence both in patients with an unmethylated and methylated MGMT promoter gene. Valganciclovir was safe to use and prolonged median survival after recurrence for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, re-operated or not after recurrence, and with methylated or unmethylated MGMT promoter gene.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/8/1958neuro-oncologyglioblastomacytomegalovirusneurosurgeryvalganciclovir |
| spellingShingle | Mattia Russel Pantalone Afsar Rahbar Cecilia Söderberg-Naucler Giuseppe Stragliotto Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma Cancers neuro-oncology glioblastoma cytomegalovirus neurosurgery valganciclovir |
| title | Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma |
| title_full | Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma |
| title_fullStr | Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma |
| title_short | Valganciclovir as Add-on to Second-Line Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma |
| title_sort | valganciclovir as add on to second line therapy in patients with recurrent glioblastoma |
| topic | neuro-oncology glioblastoma cytomegalovirus neurosurgery valganciclovir |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/8/1958 |
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