Treating Brain Cancer with Radiation Plus Immunotherapy: A Successful Synergy?

My mother died of a glioblastoma multiforma which was non responsive to treatment. Have you had any results with combination therapy with patients with this diagnosis?

i felt great having had radiosurgery for 8 nodules on my brain from metastases of my lung cancer stage 4 and receiving inmunotherapy and feeling like i am there is just one reason God is good aloha nyc

My mother is now being treated with SRS on her melanoma brain mets (around 40 of them found). We wanted to combine it with nivo or pembro in parallel, but our doctors refuse to do it together, explaining that immunotherapy can cause swelling in brain and it will be hard to reach brain mets with srs + they are afraid the organism will not stand 2 treatments at once. Can you comment on this? Do you think it is possible to have both treatments at once? Or better first finish the srs therapy?

Hoping that just Pembro works for me. Trying to avoid the whole head radiation and potential long term effects like hearing loss or short term memory issues later.

My husband was diagnosed with subungual melanoma in January 2013, partial thimb amputated, no lymph node involvement, but as a precautionary measure they put him on Sylatron. Just shy of 2 years into the treatment he developed pyphoria and they stopped the treatment. Then in December 2015 they respected a tumor from his right lung, again no lymph node involvement, and as a precautionary measure they started him on Yeravoy. In February 2016 he developed inflammation in the pituitary glad, so again the treatment was stopped. July 2016 he had a stroke due to a tumor on his left side of his brain, surgery was done tor removed, localized radiation was done, and they began him on Opdivo. October 12 2016 a scan shows that he now has meningeal melanomatosis. He has tested postive for the BRAF V600E mutation. Please... if you can give any advice PLEASE let me know. Thank You.

Hi! This is very interesting as my girlfriend has GBM. I'm am very interested in combination therapy. After all in the past, when there treatment options such as surgery, chemo, and radiation were available, it wasn't until the combination of the three or two was utilized that survival improved.

You mentioned surgery, chemo, and radiation, "Now we have about 20% of patients who have been alive many years after their brain metastases have been treated with SRS and immunotherapy and they appear cured." What is happening to the remaining 80% and what do you think is the cause in different outcomes?

Thank you so much!

Hi thank you for taking my question. My mom was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Biopsy this friday. They felt that it isn't resectable, too deep and close to the basal ganglia. So chemo and possibly radiotherapy. The idea of immunotherapy , Radiation therapy and chemo seems to make sense. Might you have any thoughts re treatment options. Thank you scott

Hello! I just read something here very intersting. My husband has stage IV lung non small cell with brain mets. He has had several sterotactical treatment along with wbt and now on his last mri from nov showed SEVEN more. And they were not little. He is now on his fourth treatment of Whole brain therapy AGAIN because 4 out of the seven are too close and can cause necrosis of healthy tissue. I read that the Opdivio can cause enlargement and then shrinkage. I am sick that maybe we jumped into this too quickly. Also, His oncologist said the two treatments he received of the opdiva is working as his tumor shrunk even more and no other signs of metastases throughout his scan. Its just his brain and she keeps saying opdiva does not work with the brain. Is there any hope these monsters will stop developing in his brain. Thank you Stacey

Our daughter was diagnosed in February 2014 with Grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma primary tumor. Surgery followed by radiation and Temozolomide. Thankfully, her scans since show no evidence of active disease. If there were to be a recurrence, could radiation plus immunotherapy be used?

My sons girlfriend was diagnosed with ependymoma last February 2026. After a 12 hour surgery, they were able to remove 95% of the brain tumor. There was also a small tumor on her c spine. Both areas were treated with radiation. In following up over subsequent months, the c spine tumor is gone but she was given chemo pills for the remaining brain tumor. As of her last follow up, yesterday, the brain tumor is growing. Her last scan was 6 weeks ago and she has been on chemo pills daily since then. I think the drug is Temador? She was told she has had the lifetime "max" of radiation? Her doctors/oncologist plan on meeting to discuss a treatment plan. Would immunotherapy be a consideration? She's only 26 years old and we are seeking a second opinion.

Hi doc,
Do you have any recommendations on scientific publications regarding glioblastoma and immunotherapy? My mother has recently been diagnosed and they are running a trial with chemo, radiation and Opdivo. I couldn't find a lot of publications on this topic (except one stating it doesn't work). So suggestions on further reading on forms of immunotherapies with promising results would be most welcome.
Thanks!

Have you had any experience treating metatastic brain tumor from bladder cancer (we're facing now) using SRS and immunotherapy?

my brother was diagnosed with Stage 3A NSCLC in May of 2017. He had surgery to remove cancer. He began chemo but they soon found a tiny spot on his liver in November 2017. He was started on Opdivo. The spot on his liver disappeared within two months. He had clean scans until this past July 2017, when it looked as if there were changes on the suture line he had surgery at. The told us not to be too concerned that the would watch. On August 3rd, doctor gave him a break off of opdivo treatment due to minor side effects. He resumed treatment on August 17th. Two weeks later he suffered cardiac tamponade with malignant cells present. He missed his opdivo treatment due to the tamponade but resumed it the following week. In late October he had a petscan and a small lesion showed up on his hip. He received radiation for that. In early November they did an MRI on his brain and found 11 spots all 9mm and under. We have to decide between WBR or clinical trial SRS. Which would you recommend.

Hello,
I'm wondering if there is SRS and immunotherapy available for breast cancer brain mets? Currently or in trials (or planned trials)?
Thanks.

my daughter is 7years old and she has medullablastoma group3. do u have any immunotherpy or treatments for this brain tumor? Currently or in trials (or planned trials)? thanks

My son was diagnosed with a round cell sarcoma in in his left hip in April 2018, which had already metastisized to his lungs. Several rounds of heavy in patient chemo later, the lung tumors were all gone but one which was "immeasurable". The hip did not reach to chemo and he had to have a hemipelvectomy in July. After rehab, he came home in early August and stayed only one night. He was taken to the ER for paralysis of his right arm and leg and incoherent speech. The cancer was now in his brain. 10 daily rounds of full brain radiation and a few more weeks in the hospital and he was again sent to rehab. A new MRI showed a mild response to the radiation and we were told it would improve over the next 4 months. He was sent to assisted living and started on a 21 day regimen of a chemo pill that does cross the blood brain barrier. This was the first time chemo made him sick. He also soon started regressing in speech, memory, change in personality again, etc. We had another MRI last week and we get the results from the Oncologist tomorrow. I've just seen the report online and it's not good. Multiple new lesions, and growth of previous legions which are up to as large at 3.5cm. He has already had miraclous responses in his treatment. He was not expected to have full response from the lungs or to then live much past the day he went back to the ER with the bleeding brain lesions. My question is, if there is immunotherapy available for this, or a trial, how does one go about getting in asap? We really can't wait for an appt a few weeks or a month out.

Hi are there any plans to trial this with tnbc brain metastases? Or do you know a peer that may be doing a similar trial? Best regards Clare

Hi
My mother had TNBC with supraclav metastasis underwent NACT ( pacli-carbo 12 cycles with EC 4 cycles after which PET showed complete regression This was followed by surgery and then radiotherapy which was completed less than two months ago .Today she has been diagnosed with two 3 cm brain mets and is planned for cyberknife treatment . Is there something we can do to help her
Thanks

Hi
I have ovarian cancer that has gone to the brain and have been treated with gamma knife surgery with good results however new lesions have occurred. Do you have any trials that use immunotherapy and SRS for someone like me or know someone that does? I don’t have the BRCA mutation or PDL1. My doctors are considering more rounds of carboplatin and then PARP inhibitor.
Thank you.