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UVA HEALTH SYSTEM
REVOLUTIONIZING NEURO-ONCOLOGY RESEARCH & CARE
AT UVA, OUR NEURO-ONCOLOGY RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON THE AREAS OF GREATEST IMPACT FOR OUR PATIENTS.
Current therapies for brain tumors are inadequate. At UVA, we are bringing together clinicians and researchers to
change that. Every avenue of research we explore brings new hope to patients and their families.
At the same time, we are developing new standards of care to treat the disease while also ensuring the best possible
quality of life for our patients. A strong supportive care program gives healthcare providers the ability to improve not
only the quality but the length of life for patients, while reducing unnecessary healthcare costs.
DEVELOPING NEW TREATMENTS. Patients thrive under the care of physicians who are specialists in their fields. They
also benefit from having access to the latest treatment and research options available. There are several exciting new
research projects at UVA centered in neuro-oncology.
Central Nervous System Lymphoma
UVA is at the forefront of developing therapies for central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, a rare disease in
which cancer cells form in the lymph tissue of the brain and/or spinal cord. Dr. David Schiff helped lead the
clinical trials for the disease that have become the standard of care for CNS lymphoma. Now, his team is offering
a clinical trial for relapsed CNS lymphoma patients, with another clinical trial planned to try to keep patients in
remission. His team is also exploring treatment options using chemotherapy and gamma knife, or localized
radiation, instead of whole brain radiation, in order to reduce debilitating side effects while maximizing benefits.
Looking for a “master switch”
Patients with glioblastoma—the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor—face a grim prognosis, with
few expected to survive beyond two years after diagnosis. Because the tumors invade the brain with finger-like
extensions that infiltrate the tissue, they are impossible to completely remove with surgery.
Dr. B.J. Purow and his team have identified a promising target that may lead to effective new treatments for
brain tumors, as well as other cancers. Diacylglycerol kinase alpha (DGKa) is an enzyme that acts as a “master
switch” for tumors, essential for the survival of glioblastoma cells, regulating their proliferation and the
formation of tumors. Purow is hopeful that targeting the DGKa enzyme will block the cancer’s pathways and
inhibit its growth. The team has identified a drug that targets this enzyme and hopes to start clinical trials within
the next two years.
Using the immune system to fight brain cancer
It’s known that our immune system participates actively in fighting cancer. It’s also clear that treatments to
improve immune response to cancer can induce dramatic and durable control of the disease. Dr. Schiff and his
team hope to harness the body’s own immune system to shrink glioblastomas. They are looking for ways to
combine vaccines with traditional chemotherapy agents or DGKa inhibitors—particularly helpful in the case of
brain cancer as these tumors become resistant to chemotherapy over time. Doctors hope the combination will
help the immune system eradicate cancerous cells more effectively than by either option alone.
Preserving cognition after therapy
Research has shown that some cancer drugs can cause changes in the brain, a side effect known as “chemo
brain.” Though the brain usually recovers over time, the sometimes distressing mental changes or “mental fog”
that cancer patients notice might last a short time, or it might go on for years. These changes can make people
unable to go back to their school, work, or social activities, or make it so that it takes a lot of mental effort to do
so. At UVA we are working on ways to prevent chemo brain or help people cope with it. The neuro-oncology
team is working with Dr. Erin Foff to repurpose existing drugs to protect the brain from chemotherapy,
radiation, and many neurological diseases.
Using old drugs in new ways
UVA researchers are looking at drugs approved for treating other diseases to reduce cancer risk and improve
outcomes for patients. For example, clinical trials of statin cholesterol drugs or HDAC inhibitors to treat cancer
have shown early promise in boosting brain stem cells and may prove to be effective new options. Repurposing
existing drugs has the added benefit of being a less expensive and faster approach to get drugs to patients,
when compared with developing new drugs from scratch. By using drugs that have already been developed and
tested for safety, researchers can bypass years of costly work.
SUPPORTIVE CARE. UVA Cancer Center is developing a new standard of care—patient-centered care that is accessible,
coordinated, and evidence-based. Supportive care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients and their families,
from the point of diagnosis, throughout treatment, and even after a patient leaves UVA. To design a truly effective
program, UVA is partnering with our patients to learn what works best for them. There is no “one size fits all” approach
that works. Supportive care touches all aspects of a cancer patient’s life, including:
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Care coordination
Symptoms and pain management
Psychosocial and psychological needs, including emotional and spiritual care
Rehabilitation
Financial counseling
Palliative care
Integrative care and mindfulness training
Nutrition
Practical needs, such as transportation and gas cards
Survivorship programs
Survivorship and supportive care programs are typically underfunded by insurance, but they are critical to providing
truly comprehensive cancer care.
CARING FOR PATIENTS TODAY, AND IN THE FUTURE. UVA offers neuro-oncology patients access to state-of-the-art
multidisciplinary care, from the point of diagnosis throughout the course of their disease. With help from friends and
benefactors, UVA can expand support services for individuals and their families and explore the best ideas for future
treatment—treatments that will provide real and lasting hope for our patients and their families.
For more information, please contact:
Jas Heim
Associate Director of Development
[email protected]
434.982.0313