BACKGROUND: The use of chemotherapy in patients with malignant gliomas has remained a controversial issue even after the publication of favorable study data and a meta-analysis. The present study was initiated to support the use of chemotherapy in patients with relapsed high-grade gliomas (HGG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six Austrian centers recruited 43 patients with histologically confirmed HGG at first recurrence. Twelve chemotherapy-naïve patients received oral temozolomide at a dose of 200 mg/m(2) once a day for five consecutive days and 26 patients a dose of 150 mg/m(2) also for five days after various first-line chemotherapies. TMZ treatment was repeated every four weeks for a total of six cycles. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (52.5 %) received at least six cycles of therapy. Two patients experienced complete remission and eight patients a partial response. Twenty patients survived at one year after enrolment in the study; eight patients survived beyond three years of follow-up. Hematological toxicities consisted of three thrombocytopenias G4 and 35 lymphocytopenias G3 and G4; these did not cause interstitial pneumonia or require inpatient treatment. Non-hematological toxicities were rare and without clinical relevance. Patients' quality of life was maintained during treatment. CONCLUSION: The study data confirm the feasibility and efficacy of chemotherapy with temozolomide in patients with relapsed/progressive HGG.
BACKGROUND: The use of chemotherapy in patients with malignant gliomas has remained a controversial issue even after the publication of favorable study data and a meta-analysis. The present study was initiated to support the use of chemotherapy in patients with relapsed high-grade gliomas (HGG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six Austrian centers recruited 43 patients with histologically confirmed HGG at first recurrence. Twelve chemotherapy-naïve patients received oral temozolomide at a dose of 200 mg/m(2) once a day for five consecutive days and 26 patients a dose of 150 mg/m(2) also for five days after various first-line chemotherapies. TMZ treatment was repeated every four weeks for a total of six cycles. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (52.5 %) received at least six cycles of therapy. Two patients experienced complete remission and eight patients a partial response. Twenty patients survived at one year after enrolment in the study; eight patients survived beyond three years of follow-up. Hematological toxicities consisted of three thrombocytopenias G4 and 35 lymphocytopenias G3 and G4; these did not cause interstitial pneumonia or require inpatient treatment. Non-hematological toxicities were rare and without clinical relevance. Patients' quality of life was maintained during treatment. CONCLUSION: The study data confirm the feasibility and efficacy of chemotherapy with temozolomide in patients with relapsed/progressive HGG.
Authors: Martin J B Taphoorn; Roger Stupp; Corneel Coens; David Osoba; Rolf Kortmann; Martin J van den Bent; Warren Mason; René O Mirimanoff; Brigitta G Baumert; Elizabeth Eisenhauer; Peter Forsyth; Andrew Bottomley Journal: Lancet Oncol Date: 2005-12 Impact factor: 41.316
Authors: M Brada; K Hoang-Xuan; R Rampling; P Y Dietrich; L Y Dirix; D Macdonald; J J Heimans; B A Zonnenberg; J M Bravo-Marques; R Henriksson; R Stupp; N Yue; J Bruner; M Dugan; S Rao; S Zaknoen Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 2001-02 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: Michael D Prados; W K Alfred Yung; Howard A Fine; Harry S Greenberg; Larry Junck; Susan M Chang; M Kelly Nicholas; H Ian Robins; Minesh P Mehta; Karen L Fink; Kurt A Jaeckle; John Kuhn; Kenneth R Hess; S Clifford Schold Journal: Neuro Oncol Date: 2004-01 Impact factor: 12.300
Authors: H S Friedman; R E McLendon; T Kerby; M Dugan; S H Bigner; A J Henry; D M Ashley; J Krischer; S Lovell; K Rasheed; F Marchev; A J Seman; I Cokgor; J Rich; E Stewart; O M Colvin; J M Provenzale; D D Bigner; M M Haglund; A H Friedman; P L Modrich Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 1998-12 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: A W Tolcher; S L Gerson; L Denis; C Geyer; L A Hammond; A Patnaik; A D Goetz; G Schwartz; T Edwards; L Reyderman; P Statkevich; D L Cutler; E K Rowinsky Journal: Br J Cancer Date: 2003-04-07 Impact factor: 7.640