Immunotherapy is one of the most promising areas in oncology. Various types of cancer immunotherapy are already used for most oncological diseases. However, no method of immunotherapy has been approved for brain tumors. They are only used in clinical trials. The best cancer clinics in Germany offer immunotherapy for malignant brain tumors as an experimental treatment. You are welcome to use the BookingHealth service if you want to undergo immunotherapy in Germany. On our website, you can choose a clinic and make an appointment for your treatment.
The following immunotherapy options are being used in clinical trials for brain tumors, primarily glioblastoma:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). They are successfully used for most oncological diseases. In the treatment of glioblastoma, they are only used in combination with other types of immunotherapy. When used alone, ICIs have not shown impressive efficacy in clinical trials.
CAR T-cell therapy. It is one of the most promising areas of brain cancer treatment. This innovative cancer treatment method involves genetic modification of human immune cells, as a result of which they acquire tumor-specific antigen receptors and can bind to tumor cells. So far, CAR T-cell therapy for brain tumors is not effective enough due to the heterogeneity of tumor antigens. Scientists are trying to overcome this problem by creating CAR T-cells with several types of receptors that could bind to several types of antigens.
Cancer vaccines. Advanced immunotherapy treatments in Germany include the use of cancer vaccines, most commonly dendritic cell-based vaccines. Monocytes are removed from the patient, from which dendritic cells are derived. These are treated with tumor antigens, matured, and returned to the body. The dendritic cells then "train" T cells by exposing them to the tumor antigen. As a result, the T cells attack the tumor because they can recognize it better. Other types of vaccines that doctors are trying to use for brain tumors are neoantigen, DNA, and RNA vaccines.
Oncolytic viruses are also related to immunotherapy. They can destroy tumors and activate the immune response by delivering tumor antigens into the blood. To date, the only approved oncolytic virus is T-VEC, which is used for metastatic melanoma. It is used for intratumoral immunotherapy, which means that the drug is injected directly into the tumor. Despite local application, other tumors also shrink under the influence of the oncolytic virus, which indicates the immunogenic properties of this method.
There are no approved oncolytic virus drugs for brain tumors, but they are in development. Most cancer drugs are based on the adeno-associated virus (Ad5). These drugs have also been developed for brain tumors, but are still being studied. Other viruses are also used, such as herpes and cytomegalovirus. More than 20 virus strains have been developed for the treatment of brain tumors. Examples of such drugs include DNX-2401, M032, and G207. Most oncolytic viruses are in early-stage clinical trials.
You are welcome to use the BookingHealth service if you want to find out the cost of immunotherapy and make an appointment for your treatment abroad. On our website, you can choose a clinic and get travel arrangements. Medical tourism in Germany will allow you to use innovative methods even before they are approved by regulatory authorities and become standard methods of treatment for patients with brain tumors. Our staff will select the most suitable clinic for you that is already using immunotherapy to treat gliomas and other tumors of the central nervous system.
