Roche Holding AG said cancer drug Avastin could play an important role in improving the daily lives of patients with the most aggressive form of brain cancer. An analysis of the phase II BRAIN study of Avastin alone or in combination with irinotecan chemotherapy for the treatment of relapsed or progressive glioblastoma demonstrated that the six months Avastin-based therapy improved patients’ chances of remaining alive without worsening their disease and had additional positive impact on patients.

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. has presented preliminary, promising clinical data from a Phase I trial, evaluating ICT-107, the company’s dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine product candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma. ICT-107 was well tolerated, and no significant adverse events were reported. The Phase I clinical trial of ICT-107 was conducted to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the cancer vaccine in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and malignant type of brain cancer. The trial enrolled 19 patients and was conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.