Other types of therapy • Glioma - Center Foundation
Most important at this stage:
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gaining access to the maximum amount of data (reports of clinical tests, experiences of doctors and patients) and correlating them with the patient’s situation (the stage of illness, tumor localization, molecular characteristics of the tumor).
Towards the end of 2015, a groundbreaking step was taken in the history of glioblastoma treatment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially included the fourth drug in the procedures of glioblastoma treatment in adult patients. Prior to such approval the drug undergoes clinical tests for a long time, documentation is gathered and extremely time-consuming and complex procedures are undertaken. In short, in order to get the FDA’s approval, it is necessary to present well-documented results.
For Americans, the decision is extremely important, as it means that the drug in question is no longer considered as “experimental” and its cost can be covered by insurance companies (which correspond, roughly, to Polish National Health Fund). In fact, the treatment thus approved is not the drug as such, but rather a device that is installed on the patient’s head. It operates on the assumption that electromagnetic fields disturb tumor progression by disturbing the process of cell division and thus cause the death of cells instead of their proliferation. The patient wears the electrodes for about a dozen hours each day, which should not disturb their normal functioning. Healthy brain cells divide infrequently, and the activity of the electrodes should not affect them. The apparatus used to be called Novo-TTF, today its name is OPTUNE. Ample information can be found at:
The cost of magnetic field therapy must be covered by the patients; it is c. €22 000 per month. Decisions concerning the duration of the therapy are taken by the doctor in charge, who must be the so-called certified doctor.
As far as children’s therapy is concerned, tests involve an instrument that uses ultra-low-frequency radiation. The test has not yet been completed, and there is a possibility of testing the device free of charge: the cost is covered by the producer (this refers both to children and adult patients). The firm does not send the device over to Europe, but it can be used if the patient is treated by a doctor in the USA. In our case, entire documentation was available to an American doctor in charge of the tests, which we had undergone earlier. This was a piece of adequate evidence for Nativis to offer us the device. However, we did not use the opportunity thus we have no first-hand experience, but NATIVIS VOYAGER does exist and patients have been deciding to use it. Adult patients can also apply to participate in one of two clinical tests: for newly diagnosed (recruiting has not begun yet) and for patients with recurrent glioblastoma (recruiting is now open). More information at:
Below we give information on the remaining three therapeutic measures approved by the FDA, apart from OPTUNE, in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. These are: temozolomide, gliadel, and Avastin.
Another possibility that is worth considering (unfortunately, applicable only for adult patients) is the nanoTherm therapy. It consists of injecting magnetic nanoparticles into the tumor (or into the post-operative tumor bed); subsequently, they are activated (during six one hour sessions, administered over three weeks), generating heat. The activation is performed by means of NanoActivator, a device that generates an alternate magnetic field, rising the temperature. As a result, cancerous cells can be destroyed, and the efficacy of radio- or chemotherapy is increased. The MagForce company which invests its capital to promote the technology is located in Berlin (a large number of German patients decide to undergo this therapy), and financial support is provided by the EU; the firm has also established a company in the USA and is now applying for proper documents allowing for the use of the device in America. The method is officially approved for brain tumors therapy in Germany and in all countries of the EU. In Germany, there are five clinics that offer this treatment. More information and contact at
Heating affected areas, aimed at stimulating the immunological system and damaging, or totally destroying, cancerous cells, is the underlying principle of thermotherapy and hyperthermia. For many years numerous studies were carried out applying hyperthermia in oncological therapy since its function in increasing efficacy in chemoradiation has been long recognized.