Featuring how calcium channels and calmodulin affect glioblastoma behavior. A review article

A Phyto-mycotherapeutic Supplement, Namely Ganostile, as Effective Adjuvant in Brain Cancer Management: An In Vitro Study Using U251 Human Glioblastoma Cell Line

The current standard oncotherapy for glioblastoma is limited by several adverse side effects, leading to a short-term patient survival rate paralleled by a worsening quality of life (QoL). Recently, Complementary and Integrative Medicine's (CIM) innovative approaches have shown positive impacts in terms of better response to treatment, side effect reduction, and QoL improvement. In particular, promising potential in cancer therapy has been found in compounds coming from phyto- and mycotherapy. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the beneficial effects of a new phyto-mycotherapy supplement, named Ganostile, in the human glioblastoma cell line U251, in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, i.e., Cisplatin and a new platinum-based prodrug. Choosing a supplement dosage that mimicked oral supplementation in humans (about 1 g/day), through in vitro assays, microscopy, and cytometric analysis, it has emerged that the cells, after 48hr continuous exposure to Ganostile in combination with the chemical compounds, showed a higher mortality and a lower proliferation rate than the samples subjected to the different treatments administered individually. In conclusion, our data support the use of Ganostile in integrative oncology protocols as a promising adjuvant able to amplify conventional and new drug effects and also reducing resistance mechanisms often observed in brain tumors.

Glioblastoma multiforme influence on the elemental homeostasis of the distant organs: the results of inter-comparison study carried out with TXRF method

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor which invades the nearby brain tissue but generally does not spread to the distant organs. Nonetheless, if untreated, GBM can result in patient death in time even less than few months from the diagnosis. The influence of the tumor progress on organs other than brain is obvious but still not well described. Therefore, we examined the elemental abnormalities appearing in selected body organs (kidney, heart, spleen, lung) in two rat models of GBM. The animals used for the study were subjected to the implantation of human GBM cell lines (U87MG and T98G) characterized by different levels of invasiveness. The elemental analysis of digested organ samples was carried out using the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) method, independently, in three European laboratories utilizing various commercially available TXRF spectrometers. The comparison of the data obtained for animals subjected to T98G and U87MG cells implantation showed a number of elemental anomalies in the examined organs. What is more, the abnormalities were found for rats even if neoplastic tumor did not develop in their brains. The most of alterations for both experimental groups were noted in the spleen and lungs, with the direction of the found element changes in these organs being the opposite. The observed disorders of element homeostasis may result from many processes occurring in the animal body as a result of implantation of cancer cells or the development of GBM, including inflammation, anemia of chronic disease or changes in iron metabolism. Tumor induced changes in organ elemental composition detected in cooperating laboratories were usually in a good agreement. In case of elements with higher atomic numbers (Fe, Cu, Zn and Se), 88% of the results were classified as fully compliant. Some discrepancies between the laboratories were found for lighter elements (P, S, K and Ca). However, also in this case, the obtained results fulfilled the requirements of full (the results from three laboratories were in agreement) or partial agreement (the results from two laboratories were in agreement).

Tackling the Behavior of Cancer Cells: Molecular Bases for Repurposing Antipsychotic Drugs in the Treatment of Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is associated with a very dismal prognosis, and current therapeutic options still retain an overall unsatisfactorily efficacy in clinical practice. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches and effective medications are highly needed. Since the development of new drugs is an extremely long, complex and expensive process, researchers and clinicians are increasingly considering drug repositioning/repurposing as a valid alternative to the standard research process. Drug repurposing is also under active investigation in GBM therapy, since a wide range of noncancer and cancer therapeutics have been proposed or investigated in clinical trials. Among these, a remarkable role is played by the antipsychotic drugs, thanks to some still partially unexplored, interesting features of these agents. Indeed, antipsychotic drugs have been described to interfere at variable incisiveness with most hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we analyze the effects of antipsychotics in oncology and how these drugs can interfere with the hallmarks of cancer in GBM. Overall, according to available evidence, mostly at the preclinical level, it is possible to speculate that repurposing of antipsychotics in GBM therapy might contribute to providing potentially effective and inexpensive therapies for patients with this disease.

Therapeutic Targets in Diffuse Midline Gliomas-An Emerging Landscape

Simple Summary

Diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) remain one of the most devastating childhood brain tumour types, for which there is currently no known cure. In this review we provide a summary of the existing knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of this disease, highlighting current analyses and novel treatment propositions. Together, the accumulation of these data will aid in the understanding and development of more effective therapeutic options for the treatment of DMGs.

Abstract

Diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) are invariably fatal pediatric brain tumours that are inherently resistant to conventional therapy. In recent years our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of DMG tumorigenicity has resulted in the identification of novel targets and the development of a range of potential therapies, with multiple agents now being progressed to clinical translation to test their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we provide an overview of the current therapies aimed at epigenetic and mutational drivers, cellular pathway aberrations and tumor microenvironment mechanisms in DMGs in order to aid therapy development and facilitate a holistic approach to patient treatment.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the management of glioma patients around the world. An evidence-based review

Background

The coronavirus pandemic has affected many health care services worldwide since the emergence of the first case in Wuhan. Surgical neuro-oncology care is a fundamental part of hospital services, making it susceptible to strategic changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

An electronic search on several databases (PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar) from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of 2020, each paper was reviewed independently. The publication inclusion and exclusion criteria were done using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.

Results

Eight studies were found to be eligible for our meta-analysis. Most of the studies were on a retrospective basis, except one which was retrospective and prospective. An overall of 951 glioma patients’ were included for surgical admission from the beginning of the pandemic until 2020. Seventy-four patients' had mortality outcomes, and 250 patients had complications for both surgical admitted and non-surgical admitted purposes.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, we made the first systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the management of glioma patients’ during the pandemic of COVID-19. Our main findings are that the number of surgical admissions for glioma patients’ did not significantly differ between COVID-19 negative and COVD-19 positive cases; however, surprisingly, we found that both overall complications and mortality outcomes were more significant COVID-19 negative patients’ from the reported studies.