Advances in the treatment of primary brain tumors: dawn of a new era?

The prognosis for patients with malignant primary brain tumors has been poor, and until recently, there was little evidence that chemotherapy was beneficial. The publication of the phase III trial comparing the combination of temozolomide with external beam radiation therapy with radiation therapy alone demonstrated a clear survival benefit for the combination regimen. These results, along with improvements in clinical trial design and outcome assessment, advances in our understanding of glioma tumor biology, and recognition of critical drug-drug interactions, have provided a foundation for developing better treatments for these cancers.