Oncolytic virus therapy for glioma: current clinical trials and overcoming key obstacles.

The poor prognosis of glioma underscores the urgent need for novel therapies. Recent advances in immunotherapy, especially in oncolytic virus therapy (OVT), have shown promising progress. In clinical trials, OVT has improved median overall survival up to 28.8 months. Different oncolytic viruses, including herpes simplex virus (HSV), adenoviruses, and polioviruses, have shown varying efficacy. HSV-based therapies, like G47Δ, have demonstrated promising survival outcomes, whereas polioviruses like PVSRIPO have excelled in eliciting strong immune responses. However, key challenges include ensuring the safety of viral vectors, overcoming the blood-brain barrier, maintaining long-term efficacy, and addressing excessive inflammation. This review aims to summarize the clinical challenges of OVT in glioma, with a focus on safety, delivery methods, immune response modulation, and the efficacy of various viruses.