Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study

Background: TTFields are a loco-regional, anti-mitotic treatment comprising low-intensity alternating electric fields. In the EF-14 study of newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM), TTFields in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) significantly improved survival vs. TMZ alone. In preclinical studies TTF...

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Main Authors: Felix Bokstein, Deborah Blumenthal, Dror Limon, Carmit Ben Harosh, Zvi Ram, Rachel Grossman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fonc.2020.00411/full
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author Felix Bokstein
Felix Bokstein
Deborah Blumenthal
Deborah Blumenthal
Dror Limon
Carmit Ben Harosh
Zvi Ram
Rachel Grossman
author_facet Felix Bokstein
Felix Bokstein
Deborah Blumenthal
Deborah Blumenthal
Dror Limon
Carmit Ben Harosh
Zvi Ram
Rachel Grossman
author_sort Felix Bokstein
collection DOAJ
description Background: TTFields are a loco-regional, anti-mitotic treatment comprising low-intensity alternating electric fields. In the EF-14 study of newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM), TTFields in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) significantly improved survival vs. TMZ alone. In preclinical studies TTFields had a radiosensitizing effect and increased the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT). This study prospectively evaluated the feasibility and safety of TTFields administered concurrently with RT and TMZ in ndGBM patients.Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed ndGBM were treated with TTFields/RT/TMZ followed by adjuvant TMZ/TTFields. TTFields (200 kHz) were delivered for ≥18 hours/day with transducer arrays removed during RT delivery. RT was administered to the tumor bed in 30 fractions (total dose 60 Gy) combined with daily TMZ (75 mg/m2). In the adjuvant phase, patients received monthly TMZ (150–200 mg/m2 for 5 days) plus TTFields. Patients were followed for 24 months or until second disease progression. The primary outcome was safety of the combined therapies; secondary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Adverse events (AEs) were graded per CTCAE v4.0.Results: Ten patients were enrolled at a single center between April and December 2017. Median age was 60.2 years, median Karnofsky Performance Score was 90.0, and 80% patients were male. Five (50%) patients had undergone tumor resection while the remainder had biopsy only. Eight patients experienced ≥1 RT treatment delay; delays were unrelated to TTFields treatment. All patients experienced ≥1 AE. Three patients suffered from serious AEs (urinary tract infection, confusional state, and decubitus ulcer) that were considered unrelated to TTFields. The most common AE was skin toxicity, reported in eight (80%) patients; all were of low severity (CTCAE grade 1–2) and were reported as related to TTFields treatment. Median PFS from enrollment was 8.9 months; median OS was not reached at the time of study closure.Conclusions: Eighty percent of patients experienced grade 1–2 TTFields-related skin toxicity. No other TTFields-related toxicities were observed without an increase in RT- or TMZ-related toxicities as a result of combining TTFields with these therapies. Preliminary efficacy results are promising and warrant further investigation of concurrent TTFields/RT/TMZ treatment in ndGBM patients.
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spelling doaj.art-975e06cb4b40487f8c651fac1e7dfb912022-12-22T00:10:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2020-04-011010.3389/fonc.2020.00411523476Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility StudyFelix Bokstein0Felix Bokstein1Deborah Blumenthal2Deborah Blumenthal3Dror Limon4Carmit Ben Harosh5Zvi Ram6Rachel Grossman7Department of Neurosurgery, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelNeuro-Oncology Service, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelNeuro-Oncology Service, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelInstitute of Radiotherapy, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelInstitute of Radiotherapy, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelBackground: TTFields are a loco-regional, anti-mitotic treatment comprising low-intensity alternating electric fields. In the EF-14 study of newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM), TTFields in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) significantly improved survival vs. TMZ alone. In preclinical studies TTFields had a radiosensitizing effect and increased the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT). This study prospectively evaluated the feasibility and safety of TTFields administered concurrently with RT and TMZ in ndGBM patients.Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed ndGBM were treated with TTFields/RT/TMZ followed by adjuvant TMZ/TTFields. TTFields (200 kHz) were delivered for ≥18 hours/day with transducer arrays removed during RT delivery. RT was administered to the tumor bed in 30 fractions (total dose 60 Gy) combined with daily TMZ (75 mg/m2). In the adjuvant phase, patients received monthly TMZ (150–200 mg/m2 for 5 days) plus TTFields. Patients were followed for 24 months or until second disease progression. The primary outcome was safety of the combined therapies; secondary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Adverse events (AEs) were graded per CTCAE v4.0.Results: Ten patients were enrolled at a single center between April and December 2017. Median age was 60.2 years, median Karnofsky Performance Score was 90.0, and 80% patients were male. Five (50%) patients had undergone tumor resection while the remainder had biopsy only. Eight patients experienced ≥1 RT treatment delay; delays were unrelated to TTFields treatment. All patients experienced ≥1 AE. Three patients suffered from serious AEs (urinary tract infection, confusional state, and decubitus ulcer) that were considered unrelated to TTFields. The most common AE was skin toxicity, reported in eight (80%) patients; all were of low severity (CTCAE grade 1–2) and were reported as related to TTFields treatment. Median PFS from enrollment was 8.9 months; median OS was not reached at the time of study closure.Conclusions: Eighty percent of patients experienced grade 1–2 TTFields-related skin toxicity. No other TTFields-related toxicities were observed without an increase in RT- or TMZ-related toxicities as a result of combining TTFields with these therapies. Preliminary efficacy results are promising and warrant further investigation of concurrent TTFields/RT/TMZ treatment in ndGBM patients.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fonc.2020.00411/fullTumor Treating Fieldsradiotherapytemozolomideglioblastomasafety
spellingShingle Felix Bokstein
Felix Bokstein
Deborah Blumenthal
Deborah Blumenthal
Dror Limon
Carmit Ben Harosh
Zvi Ram
Rachel Grossman
Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
Frontiers in Oncology
Tumor Treating Fields
radiotherapy
temozolomide
glioblastoma
safety
title Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
title_full Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
title_fullStr Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
title_full_unstemmed Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
title_short Concurrent Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) and Radiation Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Prospective Safety and Feasibility Study
title_sort concurrent tumor treating fields ttfields and radiation therapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma a prospective safety and feasibility study
topic Tumor Treating Fields
radiotherapy
temozolomide
glioblastoma
safety
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fonc.2020.00411/full
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