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CURE’s brain cancer page features the latest cancer news and updates on brain cancer Through articles, videos, podcasts, and more, CURE brings readers the insights of experts, cancer survivors, patients, and advocates to ensure everyone is up to date in brain cancer.

After a car accident, and experiencing what he thought was a stroke, Matt Newman was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 39 — an experience he found strength and courage in.

With a wife and three children at home, as well as a cancer partner in his father-in-law facing his own pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Matt immediately went into fight mode. He utilized fitness and exercise to get through his craniotomy recovery, and went on to write “Starting At The Finish Line,” which tells his personal story.

“I’ve earned my legacy and cancer had nothing to do with it,” he says.

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Matt Newman, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at 39, but refuses to let cancer define the legacy he has made.

Earning Your Legacy: Cancer Has Nothing To Do With It

Ninety percent of patients with cancer enter their first oncology appointment with a nutritional issue; however, Savor Health, who works in conjunctions with Merck’s Your Cancer Game Plan, has set out to combat just that.

 Talks Cancer, founder and CEO of Savor Health, Susan Bratton discussed the importance of nutrition for patients and caregivers before, during and after treatment.

For more information, visit savorhealth.com, and to read some of the organization’s recipes, visit our Spring issue of 

In this week’s episode, we spoke with the founder and CEO of Savor Health on the importance of nutrition for patients and caregivers before, during and after cancer treatment.

Addressing Nutritional Needs in Cancer

After receiving a stage 4 neuroblastoma diagnosis at 15 months old, Candace Stevens beat the odds, and has used her experience to shape her career choice today.

Stevens was treated at St. Jude, and now participates in the institution’s LIFE program — research that brings long-term childhood cancer survivors back to St. Jude for regular health screenings throughout their adult lives. The findings from this research are helping survivors learn more about their individual health needs and also providing researchers with novel insights into the late effects of cancer therapy.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with Candace about growing up as a cancer survivor, why programs like St. Jude LIFE are helping other children moving forward, and why everyone should keep believing in miracles.

In this week’s episode of the CURE Talks Cancer podcast, we spoke with a childhood cancer survivor about her journey with stage 4 neuroblastoma, and also about taking part in the St. Jude LIFE research program.

Believing Miracles Can Happen

We’re wrapping up Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by talking to Micah Bernstein, a 7-year-old, three-time survivor of neuroblastoma, and her father, Jeff. 

Micah and Jeff discussed their experiences with the disease, as well as Micah’s participation in clinical trials, being a “tester for the drugs,” as she put it. Now that Micah has no evidence of disease (NED), she hopes that she can inspire other children who face a cancer diagnosis, and one day hopes to become a doctor.

Micah Bernstein is only 7 years old and has already fought cancer three times. Now, she hopes to be an inspiration to other children.

Words of Wisdom from a 7-Year-Old Cancer Survivor

The FDA’s accelerated approval of Modeyso for diffuse midline glioma with an H3 K27M mutation sets the stage for more treatment advancements.

FDA Approval of Modeyso For Glioma May Lead to Combination Therapies

A nationwide survey of patients and caregivers has found educational and financial disparities in brain cancer care.

Financial and Educational Disparities Persist in Glioblastoma Care

The U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval to Modeyso for patients with diffuse midline glioma with an H3 K27M mutation with progressive disease.

FDA Approves Modeyso for Patients with Diffuse Midline Glioma

After surviving brain surgery, I found clarity, strength, and unexpected joy; facing my fears became the turning point, not the diagnosis.

A Little Off the Top: the First Step in a Brain Cancer Journey

After brain surgery for a malignant tumor, I faced fears, found strength, and embraced living in the moment as I begin treatment and healing.

Just a Little Off the Top: Taking the First Step in the Cancer Journey

CAR-T cell therapies are now being explored for the treatment of solid tumors like gliomas, Dr. Tanja A. Gruber explained in an interview with CURE.

CAR T Being Explored in Glioma Following Successes in Blood Cancer

After making strides in the treatment of blood cancers, innovative CAR-T cell therapies are now being explored for the treatment of solid tumors such as gliomas, an expert explained in an interview with CURE.

“We initiated trials where we introduced CAR-Ts into the brain for brain tumors, specifically for high-risk gliomas, diffuse midline gliomas and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas, and we learned that we were getting very nice responses, but we couldn't just give the CAR-T once, like we do for blood cancers. We had to give repeated doses of the CAR-T to sustain the response we were seeing,” explained Dr. Tanja A. Gruber.

Gruber, division chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation & Regenerative Medicine at Stanford Medicine Children's Health, spoke with CURE about the impact of CAR-T cell therapy and what is next for the transformative therapy.

How has CAR-T cell therapy impacted pediatric patients with blood cancers and solid tumors?

In terms of blood cancers, what was truly amazing is that CAR-T therapy was able to put patients into remission who were very resistant to chemotherapy. We were able to cure children that chemotherapy couldn't, which was a huge advance in our field. The other thing we learned is that some of the factors that might make a patient resistant to chemotherapy don't necessarily make them resistant to CAR-T. That's because CAR-T therapy is a very different way of killing cancer cells; it involves engineering a patient's own immune cells to recognize and kill the cancer, which is very different from how chemotherapy works, which targets rapidly dividing cells.

We would, of course, anticipate a similar response with CAR-T cells for brain tumors or solid tumors. While we have seen some very encouraging responses, it wasn't the immediate home run we saw for blood cancers. This is because brain tumors and solid tumors are very different from blood cancers. A blood cancer circulates all over the body and is a cancer of immune cells.

With solid tumors, you have what we call a microenvironment, meaning the tumor is located somewhere in your tissues as a mass, and there are a lot of immune cells present within that tumor. So, the CAR-T cells don't just have to recognize and kill the tumor; they also have to get around that microenvironment, which can sometimes create barriers that prevent a response.

Here at Stanford, we've learned a lot about CAR-T cells. We initiated trials where we introduced CAR-Ts into the brain for brain tumors, specifically for high-risk gliomas, diffuse midline gliomas, and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas. We learned that we were getting very nice responses, but we couldn't just give the CAR-T once, like we do for blood cancers. We had to give repeated doses of the CAR-T to sustain the response we were seeing, and that's because of the microenvironment. So, I think moving forward, the research is really going to be about asking, “How do we break down that barrier, or that resistance, to be able to give a CAR-T just once, for example?”

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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The accelerated approval of Modeyso for diffuse midline glioma with an H3 K27M mutation, is a step in the right direction but more work remains.

Why the FDA Approval of Modeyso is ‘An Important Step Forward’ For Patients with Glioma

The accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Modeyso (dordaviprone) for patients with diffuse midline glioma with an H3 K27M mutation, is a step in the right direction but more work remains, as an expert explained in an interview with CURE.

“It's definitely an important step forward in a field where nothing has been approved, but it benefits only a subset of patients, and so we still need a lot of work to improve on the outcomes,” said Dr. Patrick Wen, Director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Wen was the senior author of a study published in the 

 that found monotherapy with Modeyso to be well-tolerated, with durable and clinically meaningful effectiveness among patients with recurrent H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma.

The accelerated approval is for Modeyso for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged one year and older with diffuse midline glioma harboring an H3 K27M mutation and progressive disease following prior therapy. It is, according to the agency, the first FDA-approved systemic therapy for H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma.

For patients with glioma, what should be the big takeaway from this FDA approval?

Of all the types of gliomas, this is probably the hardest one to treat, because being in the midline, it's not resectable by surgery, and they usually don't respond to the standard chemotherapies, so all these patients have is just radiation, which works for a number of months, and then the tumor recurs. And so most patients have a life expectancy of about a year or so. So it's a terrible disease that occurs in young adults and often in in children. Until this approval, there was no treatment apart from radiation for these patients.

This approval is based on a study that is not for all diffuse midline glioma patients with an H3 K27M mutation. It was done in a study primarily for the patients who had thalamic gliomas, and mainly in adults, and that was because it's very hard to tell if a drug is working in these tumors. The more common diffuse, intrinsic pontine glioma, for instance, are not enhancing so it's very hard to measure the tumor. And so the FDA wanted a set of patients that they could assess response rate. And so that's why this study looked at 50 patients with measurable tumor, they were not a DIPG patients or spinal cord patients, and so it was based on the response rate and the durability of the response that led to the approval.

So it's definitely an important step forward in a field where nothing has been approved, but it benefits only a subset of patients, and so we still need a lot of work to improve on the outcomes. But now that this drug is available, potentially, you could think of combination therapies and other novel ways to try to build on this step. The drug is very well tolerated — most targeted therapies are not that easy for patients to take, this one is actually very easy. You take it once a week, and there can be some fatigue, nausea, headaches, but most of the time, patients don't feel bad on it at all, and a lot of them won't have side effects that they'll tell you about. So hopefully this will allow the drug to be fairly easily combined with other drugs, and that will build on these preliminary steps.

“FDA grants accelerated approval to dordaviprone for diffuse midline glioma,” by the U.S. FDA. News release. Aug. 6., 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-dordaviprone-diffuse-midline-glioma 

“ONC201 (Dordaviprone) in Recurrent H3 K27M-Mutant Diffuse Midline Glioma,” by Dr. Isabel Arrillaga-Romany. 

FDA Approval of Modeyso ‘Important Step Forward’ For Patients with Glioma

Kasey Rangan discusses ways that families of patients with pediatric brain cancer can advocate for themselves, especially when it comes to mental health. 

Providing Advocacy and Support for Those With Pediatric Brain Cancer 

Families of children with pediatric brain cancer must lead the charge in advocacy for their child, especially in under-resourced school systems, according to Kasey Rangan, certified pediatric nurse practitioner.

In an interview with CURE, Rangan sat down to discuss ways that patients with pediatric brain cancer and their familiar may advocate for themselves, specifically when it comes to mental health and educational support. She went on to emphasize that regular testing to identify any challenges is vital, and that familiar should be prepared to push for necessary accommodations for their child.

Rangan has expertise in neuro-oncology and works at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

For patients with pediatric brain cancer and their families, there is an unmet need for better mental health support. How can patients and their families advocate for themselves?

Advocating for [our kids] in school is going to be one of the best ways to do that, because oftentimes they fall through the cracks. We know schools are famously under-resourced, and it's only getting worse. I tell families to really get good neuropsychological testing done and then use that to work with the school to get the resources available to them. So, whether it's ABA therapy, tutoring, extra time, or extended summer classes, I think for most of our school-aged kids, that's going to be one of the best ways families can advocate.

It can be quite challenging, especially if the school district doesn't want to offer those supports or tries to find ways to not offer them. Sometimes families have to get a lawyer; there are low-cost and legal aid centers available, especially for education. But having that concrete neuropsychological test is going to be one of the most important aspects, and it will be frequent, so you'll get them every couple of years. I think that's also what families need to understand, and I don't think they fully grasp the importance and role of neuropsychological testing and how it works hand-in-hand with determining what actual issues are related to the tumor and what could be compounded by mental health.

For instance, we know that depression can cause additional problems in learning, and if there's an underlying ADHD or autism diagnosis, we need to look at how all those things play together. Parents need to recognize that they will, unfortunately, have to be their child's advocate, or the individual will have to be the advocate. It's hard for our kids because if they're developmentally delayed, they can't advocate for themselves. So, we really help families understand that it's okay to speak up and reach out to the treatment team for problem-solving when they have difficulties advocating for their child.

This is probably, for our patient population, before they reach young adulthood, because depending on what age they get treated, that's one of the ways parents can advocate and help with their kids. Sometimes, our kids get placed in special education that isn't appropriate for them, so they don't get the social interaction or social skills they need because they're put in a classroom with kids who are non-verbal or really developmentally delayed, and then they're not getting the peer-to-peer interaction they need to help them as well.

All of those things considered, I think school advocacy and neuropsychological testing are the best way to start, because neuropsychology will be able to help tease out what will be most beneficial for them, and then the family needs to understand that advocacy really comes down to them. They have to be ready to fight, and we will be right next to them to help them fight, but a lot of it has to come from their end when it comes to the school.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education,

The de-escalation of therapy helps avoid unnecessary toxicity from treatment in patients with brain cancer, explained Drs. Joshua K. Sabari and Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia.

Delving Into Brain Cancer Treatment Takeaways Following ASCO 2025

The de-escalation of therapy helps avoid unnecessary toxicity from treatment, making it an important consideration during the treatment of patients with brain cancer or metastases, Dr. Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia said during an interview with Dr. Joshua K. Sabari on the topic of the 

. Ahluwalia went on to highlight the emergence of antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapy in across the therapeutic landscape, new drugs and approaches which help improve survival and neurologic function for patients, and pushing the envelope of treatment.

To kick off their conversation, Ahluwalia and Sabari began by highlighting the CATNON trial, a randomized, multicenter trial for patients with grade 3 gliomas being conducted by EORTC with U.S. cooperative group participation. The investigation aimed to understand if treatment with temozolomide chemotherapy provided patients with benefit when given concurrently with radiation versus after radiation.

According to Ahluwalia, investigators of the CATNON trial found that the concurrent treatment did not provide benefit, and that there was a clear benefit derived in patients who were treated with adjuvant therapy post-radiation

Moreover, Sabari and Ahluwalia went on to highlight the HER3-DXd antibody-drug conjugate to be used in patients with brain metastases from their lung and/or HER2-positive breast cancer. Ahluwalia explained that, of those treated with the investigational therapy, he trial reported a 30% intracranial response rate in patients with lung cancer brain metastases. Additionally, there was a 23% intracranial response rate for patients with brain metastases from their breast cancer.

Of the patients with leptomeningeal disease, 65% of patients survived three or more months, while 50% experienced benefit of 6 months or more. Overall, Ahluwalia said that the HER3-DXd agent provided intracranial activity in this difficult-to-treat patient population, including those with leptomeningeal disease.

Sabari is the editor in chief of CURE. He also serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of High Reliability Organization Initiatives at Perlmutter Cancer Center. Ahluwalia is a neuro-oncologist. He serves as the chief scientific officer, chief of medical oncology, deputy director and Fernandez Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.

The de-escalation of therapy helps avoid unnecessary toxicity from treatment in patients with brain cancer, explained Drs. Joshua K. Sabari and Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia.


Conference

IDH inhibitors, now FDA approved for lower-grade gliomas, yield fewer side effects than chemotherapy, said Dr. Ryan Merrell.

IDH Inhibitors Offer New, Safer Option for Some Brain Tumors

IDH inhibitors are now approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are available for patients with lower-grade gliomas, offering a therapeutic option with a more manageable side effect profile compared with traditional chemotherapy, according to Dr. Ryan Merrell.

In an interview with CURE, in tandem with Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Merrell also encouraged patients with glioblastoma to consider clinical trials, noting that while many studies haven’t met their primary goals, some patients see meaningful benefit. “You could be that person,” he said.

Merrell is the division chief of neuro-oncology and associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Question: What progress have you seen in treatment options for clinical trials, for brain tumors that patients should be aware of during this month?

: I think I would highlight the IDH inhibitors. I mean, these are unique drugs. These actually are pill forms of drugs that are taken every day. And the thing that's really attractive about this is that they have a very good side effect profile. So, they don't follow the traditional chemotherapy side effects that you would see with traditional drugs where you'd get a lot of GI (gastrointestinal) side effects, or a lot of fatigue or the potential to have effects on blood cells. So, these are definitely much more available now that they're FDA approved, and certainly especially in the lower grade gliomas, options that we didn't have before.

As far as clinical trials are concerned. I think glioblastoma still remains the most important tumor to study, just because it's such a such an aggressive tumor. And I encourage patients to participate in clinical trials as much as they can. And I think one thing that some people misunderstand about clinical trials is they think, “Well, I'm just going to test out a drug to see if it's going to have a side effect on me.”

Well, in most cases, clinical trials are designed to help the patient, and you certainly will contribute to the research effort in terms of helping other people, but in most cases, these are really aimed at helping you and hopefully lead to better treatments for this kind of tumor. I think one of the positive things I can say about clinical trials is that — unfortunately, in glioblastoma, we've had many that have been negative and not met the bar that they needed to meet for the overall population; however, in most of these trials, there are some patients that really do well and respond well. And I tell people, you could be that person.

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Advances in Radiation Improve Precision in Brain Cancer Therapy

The field of radiation oncology in relation to brain cancer treatment has advanced with precise therapeutic approaches, such as proton and carbon therapy, according to Dr. Ranjit S. Bindra, who went on to add that these approaches offer significant benefits when targeting brain tumors, including metastases.

To further explore this topic, Bindra sat down for an interview with CURE. In the interview, he expanded on the importance of recognizing May as Brain Cancer Awareness Month and highlighted some of the most recent advancements in therapeutic radiology for patients with primary brain tumors or brain metastases.

Bindra currently serves at the Yale School of Medicine as the Harvey and Kate Cushing professor of therapeutic radiology and professor of pathology; vice chair for translational research, therapeutic radiology; scientific director of the Chênevert Family Brain Tumor Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center; chief of Pediatrics Central Nervous System Radiotherapy Program, therapeutic radiology; and chief of the Central Nervous System Radiotherapy Program, therapeutic radiology.

I think it’s an exciting time for the field of radiation oncology because we are now showing that novel, advanced treatment modalities like proton-based radiotherapy and even carbon therapy are showing significant benefits, promise, and potential. [These modalities] are really the next generation of radiation therapy for patients.

These treatments, especially protons, offer precise targeting with minimal toxicity to the normal tissue, or sparing of the normal tissue. From a radiation oncology perspective, we’re getting much better at localizing and treating these tumors while sparing the normal tissue. That’s for primary brain tumors, but also for brain metastases.

The field of radiation oncology has advanced in brain cancer treatment with precise therapeutic approaches including proton and carbon therapy.

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