Revolutionary Brain Cancer Trial Aims to Find Faster Treatments
Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are leading an innovative phase 2 clinical trial called INSIGhT to discover new treatments for glioblastoma, a challenging brain cancer. Unlike traditional trials, INSIGhT tests multiple therapies at once, using a shared control group for efficiency. The trial has already produced promising results, showing that patients treated with abemaciclib and neratinib experienced longer periods without disease progression compared to standard therapy.
What makes INSIGhT unique is its approach to adaptability. Dana-Farber statisticians continuously analyze data to determine if a patient is benefiting from their assigned treatment. This information helps future patients get the best-suited drug. It also minimizes the number of patients exposed to ineffective therapies, which speeds up the process of identifying promising treatments.
Additionally, INSIGhT requires genetic sequencing for all patients, offering insights into how genetic markers influence therapy responses. The trial is also set to add new treatment arms, further expanding its scope.
Dr. Patrick Wen, the director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber, emphasizes that this trial can efficiently discover effective drugs and move them to phase three testing. It is a dynamic, evolving trial that aims to continually test new therapies that could benefit glioblastoma patients.
