Treatment Information

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Brain – Glioblastoma Multiforme treatment details. Chemotherapy.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:5City/State/Province:Houston, Texas
Treatments:ChemotherapyHospital:M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Sep 2006

Description:

Patients: This phase II study involved 44 patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme after surgery, radiotherapy, and/or adjuvant chemotherapy. There were 15 women and 29 men. The median age was 53, ranging from 32-84.

Treatment: 43 of the 44 patients were able to receive the treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent temozolomide and thalidomide, a drug that effects the immune system in a variety of ways and also can prevent the formation of new blood vessels (anti-angiogenic).

Toxicity: One patient died during the study, and two others died within 30 days after the study drugs were stopped. The authors state that these deaths were 'felt not to be treatment related.' There were 10 reports of grade 4 toxicity, including neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal, and neurological. Overall, 70% of the patients (30 of 43) had grade 3 or 4 toxicities.

Results: This study reported the percentage of patients to be progression free at 6 months to be 24%, and the median time to progression was 15 weeks. They did not report overall survival. The authors concluded that 'this drug combination was reasonably safe, but with little indication of improvement compared to temolozomide alone.'

Correspondence: Dr. Morris D. Groves



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