title: Topotecan for the treatment of recurrent or progressive central nervous system tumors - a pediatric oncology group phase II study.
abstract: Topotecan was studied as a 72 h infusion given every 3 weeks. Treatment began at a dose of 1.0 mg/m2/day and was increased to 1.25 mg/m2/day after the first 6 patients tolerated this higher dose without excessive toxicities. Eighty-eight evaluable children were accrued in 6 strata. There were no complete nor partial responses. Twenty subjects had stable disease (astrocytoma 5/11, malignant glioma 5/13, medulloblastoma 0/12, brain stem tumor 4/19, ependymoma 5/17, and miscellaneous histologies 1/16). Two patients (astrocytoma, ependymoma) completed the maximum 18 topotecan courses. The remaining 68 children developed progressive disease within 2 months. Myelosuppression was the main toxicity. Grade 4 leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were observed in 18, 32, 5, and 23 participants, respectively. It was concluded that topotecan as given according to this schedule showed insufficient activity to promote it to frontline protocol usage.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of San Diego, California 92123-4282, USA.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kuttesch
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kepner
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kun
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Heideman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D019772:Topotecan / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019772:Topotecan