In the last few weeks we have added quite a lot of new content to the Brain Tumours Online website, including:
New information added to the ‘Learn’ pillar:
New research articles:
- Ketogenic therapies for Glioblastoma. A ketogenic diet is a diet comprised of reduced sugar and carbohydrate intake. Is it beneficial for patients with a glioblastoma (GBM) to go on such a diet and is it safe? This research article reviews the available literature on pre-clinical (mice) studies and clinical (human) studies to identify if the ketogenic diet could be an adjuvant therapy of brain cancer.
- CAR T-cell therapy and Glioblastoma. We present a few articles reporting on the latest research into CAR T-cell therapy to treat glioblastoma. An excellent overview article summarises various approaches of CAR T-cell therapy. Other articles report on clinical trials with small numbers of patients, ranging from 3-6 participants. While most tumours recurred after treatment has concluded, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the tumours reduced in size when CAR T-cells were released into the brain to attack tumour cells.
- Exercise for Patients with Glioblastoma. A team of Australian researchers explored the perceptions of patients with a glioblastoma and their carers who jointly participated in an exercise program. They further conducted a feasibility study to identify the preliminary efficacy of supervised and tailored exercise on muscle strength, function, fatigue and quality of life in patients with glioblastoma. We have provided a summary of this research and links to the original research articles.
Links to new websites and other resources:
- CanTeen Australia website. Canteen is an Australian not-for-profit that provides free and tailored support to young people (aged 12-25) who are impacted by cancer. Whether they are dealing with their own diagnosis, a close family member’s cancer, or death of a loved one, Canteen can provide: free counselling and individual support, connection to peers in similar situations, and access to information. Canteen was set up by young cancer patients in the 1980s and young people still guide the organisation at every level. You can find it on the Brain Tumours Online website under Learn > Support > Advocacy organisations, or use the search icon to look for ‘Canteen’.
- Flicker of Hope website. Flicker of Hope is a Neurofibromatosis research and awareness charity in Australia. You can find it on the Brain Tumours Online website under Learn > Support > Advocacy organisations, or use the search icon to look for ‘neurofibromatosis’.
- Children’s Tumour Foundation. The Children’s Tumour Foundation is a patient advocacy and support service for everyone impacted by Neurofibromatosis (NF) in Australia. You can find it on the Brain Tumours Online website under Learn > Support > Advocacy organisations, or use the search icon to look for ‘neurofibromatosis’.
- Acoustic Neuroma Association Australia (ANAA) website. Australian-based online portal for people affected by acoustic neuroma (also called Vestibular Schwannoma), providing information, resources and support for patients and carers. You can find it on the Brain Tumours Online website under Learn > Support > Advocacy organisations. Or simply use the search icon to look for ‘neuroma’.
- Immunotherapy for Brain Tumours (The Brain Tumour Charity UK). While there are Australian websites such as from the Cancer Council which provide good explanations, the Brain Tumour Charity website provides video links that add a layer of description for those who want to know more details about immunotherapy, including: checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT), adjuvant immunotherapies and DCVax-L. Use the search icon to look for ‘immunotherapy’ to find this and other useful information on this topic on the Brain Tumours Online website.
New webinars and video resources in the ‘Connect’ pillar:
New webinar video resources:
We held two new Q&A webinars in April with fantastic guest speakers. Both these webinars were held in response to feedback from participants who wanted to know more about these topics. You can find videos of all our past webinars by clicking on ‘Connect’ then ‘Events’, then click on the toggle button to see ‘past’ or ‘upcoming’ events.
If you missed the live webinars, you can now watch the video recordings online:
- Q&A Webinar: Coping with uncertainty and the fear of cancer recurrence.
- Q&A Webinar: Exercise, Nutrition, and Wellbeing
Upcoming webinars:
Every month we host new webinars. You can find the upcoming webinars on the Brain Tumours Online website by clicking on Connect > Events, ‘upcoming events’.
In May, we have the following webinars that you can register to attend and submit questions for the speakers:
Looking for information and can’t find it?
If you have any requests for more information on a specific topic, please send us an email on BT-Online@unimelb.edu.au and we will do our best to source the information to add to the site, or organise a webinar with experts able to answer your questions on that topic.
You can also join the Brain Tumours Online social media Community to connect with others, find out what’s new on the site and contribute ideas for the webinars.