Glioblastoma is one of the most common and severe brain cancers. It affects more than 25,000 patients per year in Europe and the United States.
The technology developed by Hemerion for the treatment of this pathology, which is the result of more than 10 years of research by INSERM, the Lille University Hospital and the University of Lille, has raised a great deal of hope among patients and caregivers: the Arte teams gave them the opportunity to speak.
On February 25, 2023, Arte broadcast a report on the clinical advances made by the Hemerion and Lille University Hospital teams in the treatment of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors.
Maximilien Vermandel and Prof. Nicolas Reyns explain how the Hemerion technology works and its specific mechanism of action. This approach allows neurosurgeons to complete the inevitably partial tumor surgery by illuminating the brain and destroying only the residual cancer cells.
The hope of laser therapy against brain tumors – Watch the full documentary | ARTE
This technology aims to significantly improve the results of surgery in order to delay or even avoid recurrence. The goal is to extend the life expectancy and quality of life of patients.
Based on the combination of a drug and a laser device, Hemerion technology fits perfectly into the current treatment protocol, which combines surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The report gives a lot of space to the patients, who suffer from a pathology that remains incurable and whose progression is very fast and aggressive. These words remind us of the urgency and the need to provide new therapeutic solutions: more than half of the people affected do not survive beyond 18 months after diagnosis.