Introduction to dendritic cell vaccines immunotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme : A novel approach

Background: The modality of therapy in this era is quite sophisticated. The mortality rate of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme is still high. It might be due to the late diagnosis of the tumors since most in the early stages some tumors do not show any significant symptoms or the symptoms usually misdiagnosed with another disease. Nowadays there is an uptrend of therapeutic methods called immunotherapy which declared as the fourth approachment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In RSPAD Gatot Soebroto Jakarta, the author starts this approach using dendritic cell vaccines in the specialized department called the Indonesia Army Cell Cure Center.Aim: The report aims to describe a case of GBM treated by dendritic cell vaccines.Case Report: A 52-year-old woman had weakness in her left extremities and visual impairment in the left eye since 2016. The patient was brought to RSPAD in August 2016 with a history of cerebral hemorrhage, then already underwent a craniotomy at the right temporoparietal region. After biopsies and tissues examination, the patient later diagnosed with GBM. As for judging the natural history of the diseases, the team decided to counsel the patient and her family conducting a new treatment strategy for GBM, immunotherapy. The immunotherapy approach performed in RSPAD was the dendritic cell (DC) vaccines therapy. As regard to post-DC vaccines therapy, the patient showed a significant improvement in her clinical condition (Karnofsky performance status increased from 30% to 60%). Also, the patient surpassed the average survival rate. Thus, the patient still scheduled for a routine follow up and a round of examinations to preserve the patient improved condition.Conclusion: The patient who has immunotherapy strategy especially dendritic cell vaccines therapy has shown an improved clinical status and survival rate for GBM, more than the average survival rates. These findings might give us more insights into how dendritic cell vaccines therapy can be involved as the fourth therapeutic strategies on treating patients with GBM.