Recent Advances in Targeted Cancer Therapy for Glioblastoma: From Bench to Bedside

Dear Colleagues,

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of brain cancer. Despite advancements in treatment modalities, the prognosis remains dismal, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. Understanding the complex interplay between glioblastoma and the immune system has emerged as a promising avenue for therapeutic innovation. GBMs create an immunosuppressive microenvironment that enables tumor progression and evades immune surveillance. Mechanisms such as the secretion of immunosuppressive cytokines, recruitment of regulatory T cells (T-regs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and expression of immune checkpoint molecules contribute to immune evasion. Immune checkpoint molecules, including programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), play a crucial role in regulating immune responses. GBM exploits these checkpoints to suppress anti-tumor immunity. Checkpoint inhibitors have shown promise in preclinical and early clinical studies, highlighting their potential as therapeutic agents in GBM. Given the complexity of GBMs and their immune evasion mechanisms, combination therapies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapies, and conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy are being explored. These approaches aim to synergize anti-tumor immune responses while minimizing resistance and toxicity. Despite the promising developments in glioblastoma immunotherapy, challenges such as blood–brain barrier penetration, tumor heterogeneity, and immunosuppressive microenvironments persist. Future research efforts should focus on overcoming these hurdles through innovative therapeutic strategies, biomarker identification, and patient stratification to optimize treatment outcomes.

Dr. Mohammad Hasanain
Guest Editor

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• glioblastoma (GBM)
• tumor microenvironment
• immune therapy
• target therapy
• genetic alteration
• biomarker identification