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Updated: Jul 16, 2025
Tumor Treating Field Therapy in Combination with Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma
Published on: October 27, 2014
Advances in the systemic therapy for recurrent meningiomas and the challenges ahead
1Department of Neurology and Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Introduction:
Meningiomas represent the most common primary neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS). 20% present with atypical (WHO grade II) or malignant (grade III) meningiomas, which show aggressive biologic behavior and high recurrence. Although surgical resection and radiation therapy are the primary treatment options for these tumors, there is a subgroup of patients who do not respond well to or are poor candidates for these approaches, leading to the exploration of systemic therapies as an alternative.
Areas Covered:
The literature on different therapeutic groups of systemic drugs for recurrent meningiomas is reviewed, with a focus on the different molecular targets. Past and current ongoing clinical trials are also discussed.
Expert Opinion:
To date, there is no recognized treatment that has demonstrated a substantial increase in progression-free or overall survival rates. Nonetheless, therapies targeting anti-VEGF have exhibited more encouraging results in general. The examination of genomic and epigenomic traits of meningiomas, along with the integration of molecular markers into the latest WHO tumor grading system, has provided valuable insights. This has opened avenues for exploring numerous intracellular and extracellular pathways, as well as mutations, that have been targeted in ongoing clinical trials.
