Deciphering the Clinical Trials of Immunotherapy in Glioblastoma: What a Neuroradiologist Needs to Know

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant adult primary intracranial neoplasm. Although a multidisciplinary approach combining surgical resection followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy is currently applied to the target glioblastoma, prognosis and survival outcomes are poor. Consequently, a range of immunotherapeutic approaches is being actively investigated to address the need for more efficacious glioblastoma treatments. Given the rapid growth of immunotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma, neuroradiologists need to be familiar with the basic concepts and mechanisms of immunotherapy, along with the current state and future directions in this field. In the present study, we review different types of immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and glioblastoma vaccines, as well as their application to the treatment of glioblastoma. Moreover, we review clinical trials of immunotherapy in glioblastoma, discuss reasons for trial failure, and summarize future directions for research.

Learning Objective: To describe the different types of immunotherapies and their application to the treatment of glioblastoma and explain the results of associated clinical trials along with reasons for trial failure and future directions