Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for identifying subjects, diagnosed as having glioblastoma (GBM), as likely responders to treatment with a programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade. In some embodiments, the subjects are identified by determining the level of phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) in a GBM tumor sample from the subject. In some embodiments, the GBM is recurrent. Also disclosed herein are methods of treating GBM subjects, whereby the methods include (1) identifying the subject as a likely responder to PD-1 blockade, and (2) administering a PD-1 inhibitor and/or a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor.

Abstract: A method for treating central nervous system tumors is a patient comprising: treating the patient intravenously with therapeutic agent including Cremophor EL-free paclitaxel, and disrupting a blood-brain barrier within the brain of the patient by the use of an ultrasound device and intravenous microbubble injection. In other methods, the subject is treated with a therapeutic agent comprising an albumin-bound paclitaxel that crosses the blood brain barrier. In this manner, the disruption of the blood-brain barrier increases the concentration of paclitaxel in the brain as compared to the concentration of paclitaxel in the brain without blood-brain barrier disruption and intravenous microbubble injection.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, components, and systems for diagnosing, prognosing, and treating a cell proliferative disease or disorder such as cancer. The methods, components, and systems relate to identifying markers that may be utilized to diagnose and/or prognose a subject and optionally treat the diagnosed and/or prognosed subject by administering a topoisomerase poison to the subject based on the marker having been identified. Markers identified in the methods may include ribosomal subunit proteins and genes encoding ribosomal subunit proteins. Based on the marker being identified in the subject, the subject may be identified as having responsiveness to a topoisomerase poison, such as etoposide and/or doxombicin. As such, the subject may be treated by administering the topoisomerase poison to treat the cell proliferative disease or disorder after the marker has been identified.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for treating cancer in a subject in need thereof. The methods comprise administering to the subject an inhibitor of a checkpoint kinase and administering to the subject immunotherapy.

Abstract: Systems and methods for predicting a sensitivity of the cancer to an anti-programed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy are disclosed. The method can comprise determining a presence of at least one mutation in at least one target gene/protein in a sample of the cancer, wherein the target gene can include a PTEN, a PTPN11, and/or a BRAF gene/protein. If the PTPN11 or BRAF gene/protein includes at least one mutation and/or the PTEN gene/protein is a wild type PTEN gene/protein, then the cancer can be predicted to be sensitive to the PD-1 immunotherapy.