Publication by Miami Cancer Institute Researchers Provides Guidance on Treatment of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-Mutated Gliomas

MIAMI, FL – July 10, 2024 – Researchers at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, recently published an article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that provides multidisciplinary treatment recommendations for patients with grade 2 and 3 isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutated gliomas. In the publication, researchers from cancer centers across the United States propose a set of treatment recommendations for patients with Isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutated gliomas, based on patient-specific variables, and tumor molecular features. In addition, they contextualize novel approaches in the modern era in light of the results of recent clinical trials juxtaposed to mature long-term follow-up from legacy studies.

“One of our key goals was to compile treatment recommendations for patients with gliomas for the modern era,” said Rupesh Kotecha, M.D., chief of radiosurgery and director of central nervous system metastasis with Miami Cancer Institute as well as Miami Neuroscience Institute, both part of Baptist Health South Florida, and lead author of the publication. “Which patients should simply be surveilled, who should get new classes of targeted agents and who should receive radiation plus chemotherapy? In this article, we reviewed an extensive list of studies that have been published to identify the best approaches considering the novel treatment options we have today.”

Gliomas are tumors that originate in glial cells. According to the American Cancer Society, around 30 percent of primary brain tumors are gliomas, making these the most commonly-occurring malignant brain tumor. They are fast-growing, known to be difficult to treat, and have high rates of mortality. Existing therapies include surveillance, radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, and novel, targeted therapies. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is a set of metabolic genes that are commonly mutated in lower-grade gliomas, making it an interesting target for new treatment approaches.

Novel IDH inhibitors to block the oncogenic neomorphic function of the mutated protein have resulted in new therapeutic options for glioma patients. In the article, the researchers evaluate “recent IDH inhibitor data within historical precedents to guide contemporary decisions regarding the role of observation, maximal safe resection, adjuvant therapies, and the import of patient and tumor variables.”[1] The findings from the review of existing literature could help establish new treatment regimens that consider all available therapeutic options.

“As we state in the article, management in the current, molecularly defined era requires careful patient selection and assessment of risk factors as well as a discussion about risk-versus-benefit for the choice of treatment, with multidisciplinary decision making as a prerequisite,” said Minesh Mehta, M.D., chief of radiation oncology and deputy director with Miami Cancer Institute, as well as the secondary principal investigator of the study. “We believe that the advent of novel treatment options is a great opportunity for better quality of life and, hopefully, extended survival. However, we need to be deliberate in the selection of treatments and be fully aware of the options that are available and suitable.” 

About Miami Cancer Institute

Miami Cancer Institute brings to South Florida access to personalized clinical treatments and comprehensive support services delivered with unparalleled compassion. No other cancer program in the region has the combination of cancer-fighting expertise and advanced technology—including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the only radiation oncology programs in the world with each of the newest radiation therapies in one place—to diagnose and deliver precise cancer treatments that achieve the best outcomes and improve the lives of cancer patients. The Institute offers an impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. Selected as Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer (MSK) Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a meaningful clinical collaboration that affords patients in South Florida access to innovative treatments and ensures that the standards of care developed by their multidisciplinary disease management teams match those at MSK. For more information, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/services/cancer-care/miami-cancer-institute.

Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health Cancer Care, the largest cancer program in South Florida, with locations from the Florida Keys to the Palm Beaches.

###