Expansion of Brain Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trial Sites Provides Hope

CLEARWATER, FL, August 12, 2011 (Press-News.org) Miles For Hope today announced their excitement in the further expansion of the Phase II clinical trial for DCVax manufactured by Northwest Biotherapeutics. The results from prior trials of the DCVax immune therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer were striking. Patients who received DCVax showed a median survival of 3 years, compared with a median survival of only 14.6 months with standard care (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy). In addition, patients treated with DCVax did not have a tumor recurrence for nearly 2 years, compared with tumor recurrence in just 7 months with standard care. Moreover, patients treated with DCVax did not experience any toxic side effects, a stark contrast to chemotherapies.

"Over the past three decades, conventional treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have only been able to extend the median survival of brain cancer patients by approximately two weeks," said Robert Gibbs, co-founder of Miles For Hope and seven-year brain tumor survivor. "For that reason, my wife and I feel compelled to increase awareness and raise funds for brain cancer vaccines. We desperately want others to have access to the same treatment that saved my life. The additional clinical trial sites announced recently by Northwest will offer those facing a brain cancer diagnosis hope and, possibly, extend their life."

Gibbs, married and father of four sons, was diagnosed in 2004 with brain cancer. If one brain tumor diagnosis was not enough, one year later their oldest son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Gibbs and his wife, Barb, researched all possible treatment options and came across an experimental brain cancer vaccine. During his second surgery in 2008, his brain cancer became aggressive enough that it qualified him for an early DCVax clinical trial at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Gibbs set out on a mission to increase awareness and raise funds for the disease that attempted to take his life. Gibbs, and his wife started Miles for Hope, a national non-profit brain tumor organization dedicated to funding cutting-edge cancer vaccines, like DCVax , to save the lives of others.

Brain tumors currently affect over 200,000 people each year, one person every 3 minutes in the United States, and they are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 20. It is estimated that over 600,000 people are battling a brain tumor in the United States. In addition, brain tumors are the second-leading cause of cancer death in males under the age of 29 and the fifth cause of cancer death in female adults 20-39.
The following hospitals are hosting clinical trials for DCVax immune therapy for glioblastoma:

• UCLA in Los Angeles, CA (Dr. Linda Liau)
• University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH (Dr. Andrew Sloan)
• Virginia Piper Cancer Center in Minneapolis, MN (Dr. John Trusheim)
• Swedish Neuroscience Institute, Seattle, WA (Dr. Greg Foltz)
• NYU in New York, NY (Dr. Michael Gruber)
• Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ (Dr. Michael Gruber)
• Baylor Research Institute in Dallas, TX (Dr. Karen Fink)
• University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY (Dr. Kevin Walter)
• Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan (Dr. Tom Mikkelson)
• Brain & Spine Surgeons of NY in White Plains, NY (Dr. John Abrahams)
• Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, CA (Dr. Nora Wu)
• Long Island Brain Tumor Center in Commack, NY (Dr. Jai Grewal)

For more information on Miles for Hope visit the website at http://www.milesforhope.org/.
Gibbs has become an expert on current immunotherapies and treatment options for brain cancer because of his personal experience with the disease. Gibbs is available for interviews to discuss these points and other topic-related developments. To interview Bob Gibbs, call 727-781-4673.

Miles for Hope was established by Bob & Barb Gibbs to raise funds for promising brain tumor clinical trials and research. We are dedicated to raising funds to improve current treatments for brain tumors, and to assist brain tumor patients with travel expenses for their treatment.

Our goal at Miles for Hope is to provide a complete source for cutting edge treatment and support for both the patient and care givers. There are many wonderful sources of information on the internet for brain tumors, and our goal is to compile these resources at one location. Here you will find a large support forum full of information, the most current clinical trial information, breaking news regarding brain tumors, and other support and awareness tools for your use in combating and fighting brain tumors.