Immunotherapy Targeting of Cytomegalovirus Antigens in Glioblastoma

In Australia, glioblastoma (GBM) has a higher annual fatality rate than a variety of other cancers, such as melanoma, bladder, and kidney tumors. While the 5-year survival rate for other cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer, has increased, there have been no notable advancements in GBM during the past ten years, and the incidence and mortality patterns have barely changed between 1982 and 2011. In particular, GBM poses a challenging therapeutic dilemma for patients and physicians due to its aggressive biology and resistance to available treatments. Recent studies showed that cytomegalovirus (CMV) is expressed in GBM tumors, making it a good target for immunotherapy trials. This phase I trial aims to determine the safety and tolerability of the PEP-CMV vaccine in patients with newly diagnosed MGMT-unmethylated GBM in combination with one cycle of adjuvant temozolomide.