Glioma, the most common malignant brain tumour in young adults under 50 is a devastating disease that often strikes people in their prime working years, said Samemeh Samami, senior medical science liaison at Servier, during Benefits Canada’s Drug Innovations Webinar: A spotlight on brain health.

Diagnosis can turn a person’s life upside down, she noted, bringing emotional, physical and financial challenges at a time when many are raising families and building careers.

Early symptoms are often subtle and nonspecific, such as headache, fatigue and speech problems, and most diagnoses occur after a first seizure requiring emergency care and MRI tests, said Samami, adding this unpredictability can create a lot of anxiety for patients and their families.

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Current treatment options leave patients and their families with significant unmet needs, said Mareva Faure, market access manager at Servier, also speaking during the session. She noted glioma management typically starts with brain surgery to remove as much of the tumour mass as possible, followed by one of two treatment pathways: a passive watch-and-wait approach or aggressive therapy such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Although the watch-and-wait approach avoids immediate exposure to aggressive treatments, patients are still at risk of progression and must undergo frequent MRIs, explained Faure, which can leave them anxious and vulnerable, especially with unpredictable seizures and the knowledge that the disease will eventually progress.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can result in a wide range of side-effects such as cognitive impairment, memory loss and long-term brain damage, which not only impact quality of life and family responsibilities but also contribute to work loss and financial strain.

The recent launch of Voranigo, the first new glioma treatment in more than 20 years, offers new hope for patients, said Samami. The oral therapy targets IDH-mutated low-grade glioma, with clinical trials showing it significantly slowed tumour progression, reduced tumour size, reduced seizure frequency and delayed the need for aggressive radio- and chemotherapy treatment, all while helping patients maintain independence and quality of life.

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“In fact, the results were so compelling they stopped the study 18 months ahead of schedule, something that rarely happens in oncology.”

For Canadians facing glioma during their prime working years, this innovation represents not only a medical milestone, she said, but also a chance for people to remain active in their careers and communities. And as new cancer therapies emerge, added Faure, workplace benefits programs play an important role in ensuring timely access for patients, to help them remain active and productive in their work — a growing focus in oncology.