Authors

I Lavon¹; N Zalcman¹; M Orevi¹; O Shamni¹; A Mordechai¹; E Mishani¹; A Lossos¹; 
¹ Hadassah Hebrew university medical organization, Israel

Discussion

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive solid tumors in current oncological patients: About 12 to 15% of primary brain tumors are glioblastoma. The documented median survival time is 15 to 19 months with extensive treatment.

In line with the lab's aim to find new molecular targets for treating brain tumors, we discovered that 56% of glioblastomas express high androgen receptor levels (AR). Following this discovery, we demonstrated that inhibition of androgen receptor induces glioblastoma cell death and prolongs the lifespan of nude mice bearing human glioblastoma. These results point to the critical role of androgen receptor in glioblastoma survival.

With the vision of precision medicine and the translation of our findings into clinical application for patients with glioblastoma, we have established a computerized imaging PET/CT test using fluoro-5α dihydrotestosterone (FDHT) tracer to detect patients whose tumor expresses a high level of the androgen receptor. Patients with tumors expressing high androgen receptor levels are potential responders to treatment with androgen receptor antagonists. We have shown for the first time that PET/CT could detect efficiently and significantly androgen receptor expression levels within brain tumors in real time.

Our preclinical and clinical trial results demonstrate androgen receptor antagonists' ability to serve as a promising therapy for glioblastoma. The possibility of selecting the potential responders makes this fast-track trial a massive opportunity for glioblastoma treatment. The feasibility of androgen receptor antagonists to serve as a treatment for glioblastoma will be soon addressed in a clinical trial