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Background
Brain tumours like for example Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) are very difficult to treat because of their location and aggressive characteristics. Approximately 28,000 new cases of malignant glioma such as GBM are diagnosed every year in the EU and the US[1] and 240,000 patients globally every year.
The current standard therapy consists of surgery, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, these therapies offer limited overall patient survival: The combination of surgery with radiotherapy increases the median of survival from 4.5 months (untreated) to 12.1 months. Additional chemotherapy with temozolomide extends survival to 14.6 months. The relative survival rate for adults diagnosed with GBM is less than 30% within one year of diagnosis,[2] and only 3% of patients live longer than five years after initial diagnosis, showing a high unmet medical need. Such deep lying, hard to reach tumours remain very difficult to treat and existing therapies offer only a minimal increase in survival rates.
[1] Source: US National Cancer Registry
[2] Source: Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States
The current standard therapy consists of surgery, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, these therapies offer limited overall patient survival: The combination of surgery with radiotherapy increases the median of survival from 4.5 months (untreated) to 12.1 months. Additional chemotherapy with temozolomide extends survival to 14.6 months. The relative survival rate for adults diagnosed with GBM is less than 30% within one year of diagnosis,[2] and only 3% of patients live longer than five years after initial diagnosis, showing a high unmet medical need. Such deep lying, hard to reach tumours remain very difficult to treat and existing therapies offer only a minimal increase in survival rates.
[1] Source: US National Cancer Registry
[2] Source: Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States
