IDH Inhibitors Offer New, Safer Option for Some Brain Tumors

IDH inhibitors are now approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are available for patients with lower-grade gliomas, offering a therapeutic option with a more manageable side effect profile compared with traditional chemotherapy, according to Dr. Ryan Merrell.

In an interview with CURE, in tandem with Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Merrell also encouraged patients with glioblastoma to consider clinical trials, noting that while many studies haven’t met their primary goals, some patients see meaningful benefit. “You could be that person,” he said.

Merrell is the division chief of neuro-oncology and associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Transcript:

Question: What progress have you seen in treatment options for clinical trials, for brain tumors that patients should be aware of during this month?

Answer: I think I would highlight the IDH inhibitors. I mean, these are unique drugs. These actually are pill forms of drugs that are taken every day. And the thing that's really attractive about this is that they have a very good side effect profile. So, they don't follow the traditional chemotherapy side effects that you would see with traditional drugs where you'd get a lot of GI (gastrointestinal) side effects, or a lot of fatigue or the potential to have effects on blood cells. So, these are definitely much more available now that they're FDA approved, and certainly especially in the lower grade gliomas, options that we didn't have before.

As far as clinical trials are concerned. I think glioblastoma still remains the most important tumor to study, just because it's such a such an aggressive tumor. And I encourage patients to participate in clinical trials as much as they can. And I think one thing that some people misunderstand about clinical trials is they think, “Well, I'm just going to test out a drug to see if it's going to have a side effect on me.”

Well, in most cases, clinical trials are designed to help the patient, and you certainly will contribute to the research effort in terms of helping other people, but in most cases, these are really aimed at helping you and hopefully lead to better treatments for this kind of tumor. I think one of the positive things I can say about clinical trials is that — unfortunately, in glioblastoma, we've had many that have been negative and not met the bar that they needed to meet for the overall population; however, in most of these trials, there are some patients that really do well and respond well. And I tell people, you could be that person.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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