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A Head Start: CAR-T Cell Therapy for Primary Malignant Brain Tumors

  • Neuro-oncology (GJ Lesser, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Oncology is in the midst of a therapeutic renaissance. The realization of immunotherapy as an efficacious and expanding treatment option has empowered physicians and patients alike. However, despite these remarkable advances, we have only just broached the potential immunotherapy has to offer and have yet to successfully expand these novel modalities to the field of neuro-oncology. In recent years, exciting results in preclinical studies of immune adjuvants, oncolytic viruses, or cell therapy have been met with only fleeting signs of response when taken to early phase trials. Although many have speculated why these innovative approaches result in impaired outcomes, we are left empty-handed in a field plagued by a drought of new therapies. Herein, we will review the recent advances across cellular therapy for primary malignant brain tumors, an approach that lends itself to overcoming the inherent resistance mechanisms which have impeded the success of prior treatment attempts.

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  1. Division of Medical Oncology, UNC-CH, 170 Manning Drive | CB#7305, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Nicholas P. Tschernia MD & Simon Khagi MD

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Tschernia, N.P., Khagi, S. A Head Start: CAR-T Cell Therapy for Primary Malignant Brain Tumors. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 21, 73 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-020-00772-6

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