medwireNews: Treatment with DNX-2401, a tumor-selective adenovirus, can lead to “dramatic responses” and long-term survival in some patients with recurrent malignant glioma, say researchers who conducted a phase I study.
They report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that tumor reductions occurred in the majority (72%) of the 25 participants who received a single intratumoral injection of DNX-2401 (also known as Delta-24-RGD and tasadenoturev) at doses ranging from 1x107to 3x1010 viral particles, and the median overall survival was 9.5 months.
Of note, five patients were alive at least 3 years from treatment, and of these, three had a complete response (≥95% tumor reduction) and were progression-free for over 3 years, while the remaining two had durable stable disease.
Noting that “median survival time is typically only 6 months” in this patient population, Frederick Lang (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA) and co-authors say that “DNX-2401 warrants further study as a single agent and in combination with other immune-modulatory therapeutics.”
The treatment was well tolerated, with just two patients experiencing adverse events considered related to DNX-2401, which included grade 1–2 headache, nausea, confusion, vomiting, and pyrexia.
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