Two drugs given in order helped some people whose brain tumor came back
Original title: Contrasting molecular and pharmacodynamic signatures of response and resistance to sequential bortezomib and temozolomide in recurrent IDH-wildtype glioblastoma and grade 4 IDH-mutant astrocytoma: an exploratory interim analysis of NCT03643549 phase IB/II trial.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was an early trial in a small group of people, and it is not approved care.
The short version
A small early trial tested two drugs, given in a set order, for grade 4 brain tumors that came back.
What was studied. Doctors treated 15 adults whose grade 4 brain tumor had come back. Ten had IDH-wildtype glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary and five had grade 4 IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. It is the first thing your team looks at when naming an adult glioma, and it can affect which treatments are offered. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary astrocytoma. Each person got a drug called bortezomib first, then the chemo drug temozolomide: A chemotherapy taken as a capsule, used for some brain tumors. Your team checks your blood counts while you are on it. See the glossary.
What they found. The tumor was held in check in 4 of 10 people with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, or 40%. One tumor shrank and three stayed the same size. All five people with grade 4 IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. It is the first thing your team looks at when naming an adult glioma, and it can affect which treatments are offered. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary astrocytoma got worse quickly. The people who did better had certain gene changes in their tumor, and the ones who did not improve had different ones.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: The drug pair was safe enough for the trial to keep going. It may help only a small group whose tumor has a certain gene pattern. Gene testing of the tumor may help show who could benefit.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a cure, and it is not a new standard treatment. This was an early trial in only 15 people, and the numbers are a first look, not a final answer. Most people in the trial did not benefit. These drugs are not offered for this use in normal care today, and a doctor cannot prescribe them this way outside a trial.
Source: PubMed, October 27, 2026 · Read the original
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