Viral therapies for glioblastoma and high-grade gliomas in adults: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE High-grade gliomas (HGGs) inevitably recur and progress despite resection and standard chemotherapies and radiation. Viral therapies have emerged as a theoretically favorable adjuvant modality that might overcome intrinsic factors of HGGs that confer treatment resistance. METHODS The authors present the results of systematic searches of the MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov databases that were performed for clinical trials published or registered up to July 15, 2020. RESULTS Fifty-one completed clinical trials were identified that made use of a virus-based therapeutic strategy to treat HGG. The two main types of viral therapies were oncolytic viruses and viral vectors for gene therapy. Among clinical trials that met inclusion criteria, 20 related to oncolytic viruses and 31 to gene therapy trials. No oncolytic viruses have progressed to phase Ill clinical trial testing, although there have been many promising early-phase results and no reported cases of encephalitis or death due to viral therapy. Three phase Ill trials in which viral gene therapy was used have been completed but have not resulted in any FDA-approved therapy. Recent efforts in this area have been focused on the delivery of suicide genes such as herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase and cytosine deaminase. CONCLUSIONS Decades of research efforts and an improving understanding of the immunomodulatory effects of viral therapies for gliomas are informing ongoing clinical efforts aimed at improving outcomes in patients with HGG. The available clinical data reveal varied efficacy among different virus-based treatment strategies.

Automated summary

Viral therapies have emerged as a theoretically favorable adjuvant modality for the treatment of high-grade gliomas, with varied efficacy shown in different virus-based treatment strategies in clinical trials.