Treatment of recurrent brain stem gliomas and other central nervous system tumors with 5-fluorouracil, CCNU, hydroxyurea, and 6-mercaptopurine.
Twenty-one patients with recurrent malignant central nervous system gliomas were treated with a combination of 5-fluorouracil, CCNU, hydroxyurea, and 6-mercaptopurine. Thirteen patients had brain stem gliomas, 3 patients had spinal cord gliomas, 3 patients had thalamic gliomas, and 2 patients had cerebellar astrocytomas. All patients had received radiation therapy, and 4 brain stem patients had also been treated with chemotherapy. Sixteen patients (76%) responded to treatment with either stabilization of disease or improvement. Nine of the 13 patients with brain stem gliomas (71%) had response or stabilization of disease. The median time to tumor progression (TTP) for the brain stem patients who responded or had stabilization of disease was 25 weeks. The median survival from recurrence for the brain stem glioma patients was 27 weeks. Patients with cerebellar, thalamic, and spinal cord tumors did very well, with an 87% response or stabilization of disease and a median TTP of 122 weeks.
Rodriguez
L A
LA
Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco.
Prados
M
M
Fulton
D
D
Edwards
M S
MS
Silver
P
P
Levin
V
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001933:Brain Stem; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008130:Lomustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
D008130:Lomustine; D015122:Mercaptopurine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006918:Hydroxyurea