A small trial suggests that combining an immunotherapy and an AKT inhibitor may be a viable treatment for some people with brain cancer, the Guardian reports.
As part of the Phase 1 Ice-CAP trial, 10 people with advanced glioblastoma, seven of whom had PTEN mutations and three of whom had complete loss of PTEN expression in their tumors, were treated with a combination of atezolizumab and ipatasertib, according to the UK's Institute of Cancer Research. It adds that atezolizumab is an immunotherapy, while ipatasertib is a precision drug that blocks AKT. As the ICR-led researchers reported at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, two patients in the small, early-stage trial responded well to the treatment.
According to the Guardian, one patient, Hamish Mykura, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018, says there are no signs of his tumor on scans.
"Patients with glioblastoma have very poor survival rates, and even fewer new treatment options coming through, so any advance in outcomes would be extremely welcome," study leader Junita Lopez from ICR says in a statement.