In a promising advance in cancer treatment, scientists at Mass General Brigham have reported successful results in three patients suffering from glioblastoma, a common and aggressive type of brain cancer, following the application of a breakthrough therapeutic procedure known as CAR-T therapy.

Using this personalized therapy, the team extracted the patients’ T-cells, modified them, and reintroduced them into the patients’ bloodstreams. The modified T-cells, known as CARv3-TEAM-E T cells, exhibited the ability to recognize and combat the cancer cells in the patients’ bodies. The results from the clinical trial, dubbed INCIPIENT, demonstrated significant reductions in tumor size, with one patient’s tumor nearly disappearing after a single treatment.

“The CAR-T platform has revolutionized how we think about treating patients with cancer, but solid tumors like glioblastoma have remained challenging to treat because not all cancer cells are exactly alike and cells within the tumor vary,” said Dr. Bryan Choi, a neurosurgeon from Mass General Brigham. “Our approach combines two forms of therapy, allowing us to treat glioblastoma in a broader, potentially more effective way.”

One of the patients, 72, saw his tumor reduce by over 60 percent for six months, while another patient, 57, saw her tumor nearly disappear within just five days of a single infusion.

Despite these encouraging outcomes, there were noted side effects, including fever and mental state alterations in the patients post-infusion. Additionally, the decreases in tumor size were temporary.

“These results are exciting, but they are also just the beginning. They tell us that we are on the right track in pursuing a therapy that has the potential to change the outlook for this intractable disease,” said Associate Professor Marcela Maus, one of the institute’s directors. “We haven’t cured patients yet, but that is our audacious goal.”