title: Carboplatin and recurrent childhood brain tumors.
abstract: Carboplatin, a cisplatin analogue, was administered as an intravenous (IV) one-hour infusion in a 4-consecutive weekly dose schedule to 44 patients with recurrent childhood brain tumors. Twenty-four patients were registered on our phase I, and 20 on our phase II studies. The maximum tolerable dose derived from our phase I study was 210 mg/m2/wk in patients with solid tumors, and the recommended dose for subsequent pediatric phase II studies was 175 mg/m2/wk. This dose was administered to 14 patients in the phase I and all 20 patients in the phase II study. Nine of 36 (25%) evaluable patients in the combined studies experienced objective responses for a median duration of 10+ months. Seven of nine responders had received prior cisplatin. Disease-specific response rates were as follows: medulloblastoma, six of 14 (43%) with three complete (CR) and three partial responses (PR); pineoblastoma, one of one (PR); germinoma, one of two (CR); and brainstem glioma, one of eight (13%) (PR). Carboplatin had mild emetic effects but no significant auditory or renal toxicity. Thrombocytopenia (less than 49,000) was encountered in nine of 28 (32%) evaluable trials at a dose of 175 mg/m2/wk. Because of its low potential for auditory, renal, and emetic toxicity, ease of administration, and high disease-specific activity, carboplatin deserves further study in multiagent phase II and III trials, especially in chemotherapy-sensitive diseases such as medulloblastoma.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016190:Carboplatin; D002648:Child; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012074:Remission Induction
chemical_list: D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D016190:Carboplatin