The “ENDURES” Study: Environmental Dynamics Underlying Responsive Extreme Survivors of Glioblastoma

Tumor biologists and clinical oncologists are searching for new ways of developing and testing treatment approaches that consider cancer in the context of its environment. Borrowing concepts from ecosystems science and mathematical biology, researchers are investigating the dynamic and adaptive changes that make tumors less susceptible or resistant to mainline therapies and more invasive and aggressive upon recurrence. The collaborative activity proposal submitted by Swanson and collaborators will study extreme long-term survivors of Glioblastoma Multiforma (GBM) to characterize treatment responses and the causes of disease progression. An expanded use of imagederived cancer dynamics could reveal environmental contributions to long-term survival. Extreme long-term survivors are typically patients surviving five years or more beyond initial diagnosis and treatment.

The team will also collect data on the GBM microenvironment, interactions between the tumor and the rest of the body and the role of other environmental influences. As stated in the proposal “…current approaches are akin to trying to understand the germination of a seed by looking at its genetic profile but ignoring the impact of the surrounding environment.”