David Reardon, M.D.

Although negative results from trials evaluating immunotherapy and brain cancer were presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, David Reardon, M.D., clinical director for the Center for Neuro-Oncology, Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that we shouldn’t write off the possibility of this treatment regimen just yet.

Brain cancers like glioblastoma (GBM) are notoriously difficult to treat, so it is going to take more research and hard work to determine how these agents can fit into the arsenal for treating GBM, he added.

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Researchers should not give up hope in using immunotherapy to treat brain cancers.

Don't Write Off Immunotherapy in Brain Cancer Just Yet

David Reardon, M.D., clinical director at the Center for Neuro-oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, breaks down a common misconception that many people have about glioblastoma (GBM).

When people hear about a GBM diagnosis, their first thoughts might be that there is little to no hope in treating the disease. However, recent scientific advances continue to improve outcomes for people with GBM. For example, a SurVaxM, an agent that harnesses the body’s immune system to fight the cancer, has shown promising results in trials and was granted an Orphan Drug Status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early August. Other immunotherapy agents are also in the pipeline.


David Reardon, M.D., clinical director at the Center for Neuro-oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, breaks down a common misconception that many people have about glioblastoma (GBM).

Breaking Down Misconceptions About Glioblastoma

David Reardon, M.D., clinical director at the Center for Neuro-oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, offers advice for patients who have recently been diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM).

Reardon said that it is important for patients with GBM to seek out expertise in a cancer center that has a focus on GBM. Here, patients are more likely to encounter new and promising treatment strategies for the disease, many of which are in the early stages of development at large academic institutions.

David Reardon, M.D.

Don't Write Off Immunotherapy in Brain Cancer Just Yet

Breaking Down Misconceptions About Glioblastoma

Advice for Newly Diagnosed Patients With GBM

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