GBM + CMV = ?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virus-in-th

Has anyone else read this article?   I just found out in a "BTW" conversation with my mother that she has been on and off of Valtrex for the last 15 years, something I did not know at the time of her dx. three months ago. 

For all you professionals out there: Did I miss an important boat when it came to designing her treatment?  Would adding Valtrex to her daily treatment be advisable?  We're meeting with her NO tomorrow and I plan to bring this up.  For patients and cg's: have you also had experience with this?  

 My mom is totally clean right now, so we're thinking that it would be good to avoid doing IV chemo as a means to keep her quality of life up.  This new CMV componant added to the pile is a little unnerving.  

 Thanks for any and all of your input.  

Hi Obigus,

I am aware that my son had herpes too... about 9 years ago... and was diagnosed with GBM this January. Wow. I pray that a vaccine will be developed for this disease SOON.

RE. the IV chemo... has your mother been on Temodar? Did you know that it's an oral pill with minimal side effects for most people? Maybe a little queasy, loss of appetite, tired. But not violently sick, not enough to say that quality of life is diminished, for most people.

Best wishes to you and yours,

Sarah

mom of Andy 26 dx GBM/PNET 1/09

Interesting article for sure.  Heard there was a clinical trial vaccine using the herpes virus introduced into the tumor to get the immune system to respond to the tumor area and killer cells kickstarted??  Would that be  contradictory?  Will be anxious to hear what the Dr. says.  Please keep us informed.  We all are awaiting the magic bullet, it seems that it would be in vaccine form.  Let's all pray that it is on the horizon.  Lives are in the balance every day.  I hate this disease.

Donna wife of Rob dx 12/08

Do not let IV chemo frighten You.If temodal/temodar is not an option,and it sometimes is not (50/50 at best),the IV treatments are not all as dehabilitating as the "grape-vine" would have us believe.My Bro "flunked" on temodal and is using carboplatin.A 2 hour injection,once every 30 days.He has a couple of "listless" days post injection,but overall tolerates it well.I would say that his quality of life is better than when he was taking temodal.Treatment of the monster is trial and error.They can not ID which will work for who and for how long, at this point.My Bro is also using other IV "solutions" for unrelated illness.Trust your NO,and if you are in question,go to another.

Don     Bro  Den dx 06/06/08 GBM inoperable ------Stable. 

There is a family of viruses called the herpes viruses, and they include the chickenpox virus (also causes shingles), herpes type 1 (causes most fever blisters), herpes type 2 (causes most genital ulcers), and cytomegalovirus.  The herpes types 1 & 2 are only in the affected skin and the nerves from the skin to the spinal cord, the herpes viruses are not in the brain.  Folks with herpes type 2 and the genital ulcers do not have cytomegalovirus as the cause of the genital ulcers. 

With 80% of the population having cytomegalovirus in the brain and only 10,000 patients with GBM out of the 300 million US citizens, seems like the link is doubtful.

The situation with cervical cancer and human papilloma virus is very different.  Human papilloma virus produces precancerous changes in the cervical skin that are easily seen on pap smears years before these skin changes develop into cervical cancer.  I haven't seen anything suggesting that there is a precancerous phase to GBM.

I'm happy for your mom's remission, and I hate to frighten you, but I was totally clean also, surgery, temodar/rads, then Avastin/CPT-11 for one year. 4 months after being taken off of treatment, the beast was back. You can be sure I won't let them remove me from treatment again unless it's killing me. As others have said, many tolerate the tx quite well. It's unfortunate that toxic solutions are our only form of hope, but I prefer it to the alternative. Just my opinion. Everyone must make their own choice.

The "possible" connection to CMV and GBM has been around for a number of years - and like a lot of things - it takes a couple of years before it gestates into a story.   Another writer is correct - an awful lot of people have CMV - (it is mostly not symptomatic) - building a correlation to GBM will be difficult.