Repurposing platinum-based chemotherapies for multi-modal treatment of glioblastoma

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a fatal brain cancer for which new treatment options are sorely needed. Platinum-based drugs have been investigated extensively for GBM treatment but few have shown significant efficacy without major central nervous system (CNS) and systemic toxicities. The relative success of platinum drugs for treatment of non-CNS cancers indicates great therapeutic potential when effectively delivered to the tumor region(s). New insights into the broad anticancer effects of platinum drugs, particularly immunomodulatory effects, and innovative delivery strategies that can maximize these multi-modal effects and minimize toxicities may promote the re-purposing of this chemotherapeutic drug class for GBM treatment.