Northwest Biotherapeutics is making significant strides in the fight against Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most lethal form of primary brain cancer, with their lead product, DCVax®-L. GBM is a devastating disease with a grim prognosis: even with full standard care, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the median time from initial tumor removal to recurrence is only 6.9 months, and the median survival rate is just 14.6 months. Over the past three decades, there has been minimal improvement in clinical outcomes for GBM patients, and the incidence of GBM is reportedly increasing, underscoring the urgent need for new and effective treatments. 

Northwest Biotherapeutics has already completed two Phase I/II trials and is well underway with a large Phase III trial for DCVax-L. The Phase I/II trials, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Linda Liau at UCLA, involved 39 patients: 20 with newly diagnosed GBM and 19 with recurrent GBM and other gliomas. The results from these trials are promising. Newly diagnosed patients who received DCVax-L in addition to standard care typically did not experience tumor recurrence for a median of approximately two years, which is more than triple the usual duration with standard treatments. Furthermore, these patients had a median survival rate of around three years, significantly longer than the typical survival period.

Notably, a substantial percentage of patients from the Phase I/II trials have continued to live far beyond the median survival rate. As of the latest long-term data update in July 2011, 33% of the patients had reached or exceeded a four-year median survival, and 27% had reached or exceeded six years. Remarkably, as of this year, two of the trial patients have surpassed ten years of survival, compared to the current median survival rate of just 14.6 months with standard care.

The progress and results from the DCVax-L trials provide hope for GBM patients and represent a significant advancement in the search for more effective treatments for this aggressive cancer.

Learn more about the DCVax Technology here.