Citations

Abstract Oncogenic BRAF alterations occur in a subset of diffuse gliomas across WHO grades and are increasingly identified through modern molecular diagnostics. In addition to standard glioma therapies, targeted treatments are available for patients with BRAF-altered glioma supported by variable evidence spanning randomized trials, single-arm studies, and real-world evidence. This joint consensus review from the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) synthesizes current knowledge on the diagnosis and management of BRAF-altered gliomas across age groups, tumor grades, and lines of therapy. Particular emphasis is placed on expert consensus in clinical scenarios where high-quality trial evidence remains limited. The review addresses rationale testing for BRAF alterations, selection, and monitoring of targeted therapies, management of treatment-related toxicities, approaches to resistance, and priorities for future research. It aims to provide practical, evidence-based guidance for clinicians while highlighting gaps to inform prospective studies.

PURPOSE GBM AGILE (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03970447 ) is a phase II/III Bayesian adaptive platform registration trial testing multiple arms against a common control; the primary end point is overall survival (OS). Regorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, showed OS benefit in recurrent (RD) glioblastoma in the phase II REGOMA trial and entered GBM AGILE as the first investigational arm. METHODS Patient subtypes included in the regorafenib arm of GBM AGILE were newly diagnosed unmethylated (NDU) and RD glioblastoma. Prospective defined sets of subtypes, or arm signatures, were NDU, RD, and all (NDU + RD). As the first investigational arm in GBM AGILE, regorafenib was equally randomized to the control arm. Treatment in the control arm is temozolomide + radiotherapy (in newly diagnosed) or lomustine (in RD). Efficacy was assessed by OS hazard ratio (HR), arm/control, and demonstrated when the Bayesian probability of benefit (HR <1.00) was ≥98%. Analysis was performed monthly for limited efficacy, which occurs when the Bayesian predictive power is <25% for all signatures, and determines stopping enrollment. Follow-up continued for 12 months after accrual stopped. RESULTS When the predictive power was <25% in all predefined signatures for regorafenib, accrual stopped for limited efficacy. The final analysis did not demonstrate OS improvement in the regorafenib arm in RD nor NDU glioblastoma. Median HRs were 1.05 (NDU), 1.07 (RD), and 1.07 (all) with final probabilities of benefit (HR <1.00) of 0.421 (NDU), 0.312 (RD), and 0.296 (all). Regorafenib was associated with increased toxicity relative to control. CONCLUSION GBM AGILE did not show superiority of regorafenib over control in RD (lomustine) or NDU (temozolomide + radiotherapy) glioblastoma, yet caused increased toxicities. Regorafenib has been removed from National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines as a treatment option for RD.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most common and lethal adult malignant primary brain cancer with few treatment options. A significant issue hindering GBM therapeutic development is intratumor heterogeneity and plasticity. GBM tumors contain neoplastic cells within a fluid spectrum of diverse transcriptional states. Identifying effective therapeutics requires a platform that predicts the differential sensitivity and resistance of these states to various treatments. Here, we develop scFOCAL (Single-Cell Framework for -Omics Connectivity and Analysis via L1000), to quantify the cellular drug sensitivity and resistance landscape. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM tumors, we identify compounds from the LINCS L1000 database with transcriptional response signatures selectively discordant with distinct GBM cell states, and leverage this capability to predict combination synergy. We validate the significance of these findings in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo, and use the Olig2 inhibitor CT-179 as a reference drug to identify additional small molecules that would maximize the cell-drug discordance across the GBM transcriptional landscape. Our analysis leads to the combination of Olig2 inhibition with treatment with Depatux-M, of with which we demonstrate synergy in vivo. Our studies suggest that scFOCAL identifies cell states that are sensitive and resistant to targeted therapies in GBM using a measure of cell and drug connectivity, which can be applied to identify new synergistic combinations. Citation Format: Robert K. Suter, Anna M. Jermakowicz, Rithvik Veeramachaneni, Matthew D'Antuono, Longwei Zhang, Rishika Chowdary, Simon Kaeppeli, Madison Sharp, Pravallika Palwai, Vasileios Stathias, Grace Baker, Luz Ruiz, Winston Walters, Maria Cepero, Danielle Burgenske, Edward B. Reilly, Anatol Oleksijew, Mark G. Anderson, Sion Ll. Williams, Michael E. Ivan, Ricardo J. Komotar, Macarena I. De La Fuente, Gregory Stein, Alexandre Wojcinski, Santosh Kesari, Jann N. Sarkaria, Stephan C. Schürer, Nagi G. Ayad. Drug and single-cell gene expression integration identifies heterogeneity-aware synergistic combinations for glioblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Brain Cancer; 2026 Mar 23-25; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(6_Suppl):Abstract nr B032.

Abstract BACKGROUND Craniopharyngiomas are a rare tumor along the pituitary-hypothalamic axis. Genetic analysis revealed that 95% of papillary craniopharyngiomas (PCP) have BRAF V600E mutations (Brastianos et al. Nature Genetics 2014). We previously reported that BRAF/MEK inhibition was associated with significant anti-tumor activity in newly-diagnosed PCP patients (Brastianos et al. NEJM 2023). We have now evaluated the efficacy of vemurafenib/cobimetinib in a separate cohort of patients with recurrent PCP whose tumors progressed after prior radiation. METHODS In this multicenter, NCI-sponsored cooperative group trial, patients with histologically confirmed BRAF-positive PCP who progressed after radiation were treated with vemurafenib/cobimetinib. The primary endpoint of response rate (RR) based on centrally determined imaging data was to be evaluated in 16 patients, where a partial response was defined as ≥20% decrease in volume. This single arm, Simon two-stage phase 2 trial had 89% power to detect a true RR ≥ 30% (vs. null 5%; α=0.04). In this design, 3 or more observed responses in 16 evaluable patients would be considered evidence of promising activity. RESULTS Of the planned 16 patients, a total of 5 patients enrolled before the study was closed due to slow accrual. Median follow-up was 50 months (95% CI: 32 to not yet reached). Based on volumetric response criteria, all 5 patients had a response to treatment (100%; 95% CI: 47.8% to 100%). To date, 2 patients progressed, one of whom died 22 months after study entry. This cohort met the criteria for efficacy under the original design with &gt;3 responders. No grade 4 or 5 toxicities were observed. CONCLUSIONS Vemurafenib/cobimetinib resulted in an objective response in all patients with previously treated PCP. The study met primary endpoint, similar to that reported for previously untreated PCP. Thus, BRAF/MEK inhibitors could be an effective tool for previously treated PCP and warrants further evaluation. SUPPORT U10CA180821; U10CA180882; Genentech, https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org;ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03224767

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most common and lethal adult malignant primary brain cancer with few treatment options. A significant issue hindering GBM therapeutic development is intratumor heterogeneity. GBM tumors contain neoplastic cells within a spectrum of different transcriptional states. Identifying effective therapeutics requires a platform that predicts the differential sensitivity and resistance of these states to various treatments. Here, we developed a novel framework, ISOSCELES ( I nferred cell S ensitivity O perating on the integration of S ingle- C ell E xpression and L 1000 E xpression S ignatures), to quantify the cellular drug sensitivity and resistance landscape. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM tumors, we identified compounds from the LINCS L1000 database with transcriptional response signatures selectively discordant with distinct GBM cell states. We validated the significance of these findings in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo , and identified a novel combination of an OLIG2 inhibitor and Depatux-M for GBM. Our studies suggest that ISOSCELES identifies cell states sensitive and resistant to targeted therapies in GBM and that it can be applied to identify new synergistic combinations. Highlights Integration of GBM single-cell RNA sequencing data with L1000-derived drug response signatures facilitates clustering of tumor cells and small molecules on cell-drug connectivity. Cell-drug connectivity predicts the identities of drug-sensitive and resistant cell states. In silico perturbation analysis using cell-drug connectivity predicts drug-induced changes in the cell-drug connectivity landscape in vivo. In silico perturbation analysis to predict drug-induced changes in the tumor cell-drug connectivity landscape predicts drug combinations that synergize in vivo to extend survival.

Background: The rising incidence of PCNSL in the elderly represents an unmet need with an undefined standard approach [Villano Br J Cancer 2011]. High-dose methotrexate-based (HD-MTX) therapy is feasible and effective in older patients, but outcomes in this population remain poor. Despite high response rates to HD-MTX induction therapy, poor candidacy for intensive consolidative therapy results in transient disease control that may benefit from maintenance strategies [David Am J Hematol 2023]. Lenalidomide (len) has demonstrated activity in PCNSL even at low doses and represents a potential alternative to consolidation considering its extensive use in maintenance settings [Vu Br J Haematol 2019]. Anecdotal activity in PCNSL by checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab (nivo) has been reported [Nayak Blood 2017], and its immune response may be enhanced by len [Görgün Clin Cancer Res 2015]. A051901 evaluates the feasibility of the addition of len and nivo to rituximab (R) and HD-MTX as first line induction therapy followed by len-nivo maintenance in elderly patients with PCNSL not eligible for intensive consolidation. Study Design and Methods: This is a single-arm phase 1 multicenter US study (NCT04609046) conducted by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology with a traditional 3+3 design. Eligible patients are 18 years of age or older with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma PCNSL diagnosed through brain biopsy or resection, or cerebrospinal (CSF) or vitreous fluid not considered candidates for high dose chemotherapy consolidation. This study is available to all eligible patients, regardless of race, gender, or ethnic origin. Patients must have adequate end-organ function including creatinine clearance of at least 50 mL/min. Use of systemic corticosteroids for disease control to be tapered after initiation of therapy is allowed. Induction consists of six 14-day cycles with rituximab 500 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1, HD-MTX 3g/m2 i.v. on day 2. In the most recent treatment schedule, a 5-day course of lenalidomide PO at different dose levels (dose level (DL) 1 = 10 mg, DL2 = 15 mg, DL3 = 20 mg) is initiated immediately after adequate clearance of HD-MTX. Once a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of len is defined, a subsequent cohort will evaluate the addition of nivo 240 mg i.v. to the day 14 of the induction cycle of R-HD-MTX plus len at the MTD. Patients who present any clinical benefit from induction with at least stable disease by International PCNSL Collaborative Group response criteria are eligible for maintenance - twelve 28-day cycles of therapy with len 15 mg PO from day 1 to day 21 (regardless of dose during induction) +/- nivo 480 mg i.v. on day 1 (for those who received len and nivo during induction). The primary endpoint of the induction therapy is the MTD of len when given in combination with R-HD-MTX; the primary endpoint of maintenance is its feasibility, defined as the proportion of patients able to remain on maintenance for at least 6 cycles. As of July 2024, 16 patients have been enrolled with a maximum expected sample size of 47 patients with the assumption of 75% of patients being eligible to proceed with maintenance and 50% of those who begin maintenance not progressing in the first 6 cycles. Overall response, adverse events, progression-free and overall survival will be evaluated in all eligible patients with a focus on the outcome of patients treated at the MTD. For patients who consent to biobanking, diagnostic tissue, peripheral blood and CSF from different timepoints are collected and banked with planned exploratory analyses including whole exome sequencing, circulating tumor DNA, proteomics, metabolomics. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882. https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org.

Abstract GBM AGILE(NCT03970447) is a phase 2/3 Bayesian adaptive registration platform trial testing multiple therapies against a common control. Paxalisib, a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, is the 3rd arm in the trial to conclude evaluation. METHODS Paxalisib was open to patients with newly diagnosed unmethylated (NDU) and recurrent (RD) glioblastoma, with three possible signatures: NDU, RD, and All(NDU+RD). Arm enrollment occurred Dec2020 through May2022. Control patients were enrolled from study initiation (July2019) and were treated with temozolomide(NDU) or lomustine(RD). GBM AGILE investigational arms have 1 or 2 stages, with adaptive randomization in stage 1 and fixed randomization if arms continue to stage 2. Efficacy is based on OS hazard ratio(HR) of Arm/Control. Efficacy goal is final Bayesian probability ≥ 98% for HR&lt;1.00 in combined Stages. An Arm continues to Stage 2 if Bayesian predictive power (PP) ≥ 0.8. An Arm stops accruing in Stage 1 if it reaches maximal sample size(N) or does not meet a minimum efficacy threshold (PP&lt;0.25 for all signatures when N&gt;50). Clinical cut-off is 12 months after accrual stops. The maximum N for paxalisib was approximately 150(Stage 1) and 50(Stage 2). RESULTS After paxalisib reached &gt;150 patients in Stage 1, accrual stopped [Paxalisib/control N 54/75(NDU), 100/188(RD)]. Neither PP thresholds for moving to Stage 2 nor stopping for minimum efficacy were met. Following an unplanned public disclosure that the arm did not continue to stage 2, clinical cut-off for final analysis (planned May2023) was updated to public disclosure date (August2022). At final analysis mean HRs were 0.89(NDU), 1.25(RD), 1.05(All), probabilities of HR&lt;1.00 of 0.72(NDU), 0.076(RD), 0.398(All). Model estimated median OS paxalisib/control (months) were 14.77/13.84(NDU) and 8.58/10.06(RD). CONCLUSION Paxalisib did not show survival benefit over cumulative control in final primary analysis; additional secondary analyses are being considered. GBM AGILE continues to rapidly and efficiently assess therapies in ND and RD glioblastoma.

Abstract BACKGROUND Selinexor (SEL) is a first-in-class XPO1 inhibitor with potent antitumor activity through the nuclear retention and reactivation of tumor suppressor proteins, reduced translation of oncogenes, and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic proteins. As a single agent, SEL has demonstrated brain penetration and clinically relevant responses in glioblastoma. We seek to enhance the effect and benefit of SEL by priming with temozolomide (TMZ). METHODS Through an NCI Project Team, we developed a multi-institutional phase I/II clinical trial which opened across the NCI Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trial Network. Eligibility included histologically confirmed 1st recurrent MGMT promoter methylated glioblastoma. We evaluated safety, tolerability, and dose finding with an IQ 3 + 3 design of TMZ 150mg/m2 on days 1-5 of a 28-day cycle plus SEL on days 8 and 15. RESULTS From October 2022 to March 2024, we enrolled 12 patients (n=11 evaluable) into phase I of the study. Patient characteristics included 82% male, median age 62 (range 50-77), 64% white. The median number of cycles administered was 6 (range 1-12). Two dose levels (SEL 60mg and SEL 80mg) were evaluated. No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed. The most common treatment related adverse events were nausea (58%), decreased platelet count (50%), fatigue (50%), constipation (42%), vomiting (25%), decreased lymphocyte count (25%), and decreased neutrophil count (25%). Grade 3+ treatment related adverse events included nausea, grade 3 (n=1); decreased lymphocyte count, grades 3-4 (n=2); and anorexia, grade 3 (n=1). Phase I has completed enrollment and the recommended phase II dose will be SEL 80mg. Additional results will be presented. CONCLUSION Results suggest that a sequential dosing regimen of SEL+TMZ is feasible, well-tolerated, and may minimize the cumulative toxicity of SEL. The phase II randomized portion of this trial is enrolling nationwide and will investigate efficacy and candidate molecular signatures of vulnerability (NCI #10505, NCT05432804).

Abstract BACKGROUND Craniopharyngiomas, primary brain tumors of the pituitary-hypothalamic axis, can cause significant clinical sequelae. Treatment using surgery, radiation, or both often entails significant morbidity. In prior work, we demonstrated that ninety-five percent of papillary craniopharyngiomas (PCP) harbor BRAF V600E mutations (Brastianos et al. Nature Genetics 2014). In this multicenter National Cancer Institute cooperative group trial (Alliance A071601), we evaluated the safety and efficacy of BRAF/MEK inhibition in patients with PCP without prior irradiation. METHODS Eligible patients, with measurable disease and whose PCP screened positively for BRAF mutations, without prior radiation, received the BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination vemurafenib/cobimetinib in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint of objective response rate at 4 months based on centrally determined volumetric data was evaluated in 16 patients on this single arm phase 2 trial. RESULTS Based on volumetric response criteria by central radiology review, 15 of 16 patients (94%; 95% CI: 70% to 100%) had a durable objective partial response to therapy. Thus, this study met primary endpoint for overall response rate. The median tumor reduction was 91% (range of 68% to 99%). Median follow-up was 22 months (95% CI: 19 to 30 months) and median number of treatment cycles was 8. Median progression-free survival and duration of response were not yet reached. Three patients progressed during follow-up after therapy was discontinued; none have died. The sole non-responder stopped treatment after eight days due to toxicity. Grade 3 toxicities at least possibly related to treatment occurred in 12 patients (rash in 6 patients). Grade 4 toxicities were observed in two patients: hyperglycemia (n=1) and increased creatine phosphokinase (n=1). Three patients discontinued treatment for adverse events. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that BRAF/MEK inhibitors are a safe and effective treatment for PCP without prior irradiation. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882; U24CA196171, U10CA180868 (NRG); Genentech; . ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03224767.

Abstract BACKGROUND Selinexor (SEL) is a first-in-class XPO1 inhibitor with potent antitumor activity via tumor suppressor protein nuclear localization and reactivation, oncoprotein translation suppression, and DNA repair inhibition. As a single agent, SEL has demonstrated adequate brain penetration and clinically relevant responses in glioblastoma. We seek to enhance the effect and benefit of SEL by priming with temozolomide (TMZ). METHODS We developed in vitro and in vivo studies to rationally design a phase I/II trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the sequential combination of SEL+TMZ. Sequential treatment of U87 cells and intracranial mouse xenografts demonstrated superior DNA damage (ɣH2A.X, cleaved PARP) and overall survival compared to combination or single-agent therapy (HR 0.25 [95% CI, 0.07-0.84]; p = 0.01, log-rank). We used the top-scoring pair method to identify a 6 gene-pair RNAseq signature associated with response to SEL. RESULTS Based on preclinical findings, we developed and opened a multi-institutional phase I/II clinical trial in October 2022. Eligibility includes histologically confirmed 1st recurrent MGMT promoter methylated glioblastoma. Primary objectives are safety and preliminary efficacy. Secondary objectives are overall response rate, efficacy, and prospective validation of a molecular signature of response. Phase I dose finding by IQ 3 + 3 (n = 12) involves TMZ 150mg/m2 on days 1-5 of a 28-day cycle plus SEL on days 8 and 15. Phase II will involve randomization (n = 72) to the RP2D of SEL+TMZ versus monotherapy TMZ. Using proportional hazards regression, RHR 0.5 with p &lt; 0.1 will demonstrate sufficient efficacy. We have enrolled 3 participants in dose level 1 (SEL 60mg) with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) observed. Additional preliminary results will be presented. CONCLUSION Preliminary results suggest that a sequential dosing regimen of SEL+TMZ is feasible and initial dose is well-tolerated and may minimize the cumulative toxicity of SEL. The trial is currently enrolling nationwide (NCI #10505, NCT05432804).