title: A phase II trial of thymidine and carboplatin for recurrent malignant glioma: a North American Brain Tumor Consortium Study.
abstract: This phase II study in recurrent high-grade glioma evaluated the response rate, toxicities, and time to treatment failure of high-dose carboplatin modulated by a 24-h infusion of thymidine (75 g/m(2)). The trial was based on preclinical data and a prior phase I study ( J. Clin. Oncol. 17, 2922-2931, 1999); a phase II recurrent high-grade glioma study was initiated in July of 1998. Thymidine was given over 24 h; carboplatin was given over 20 min at hour 20 of the thymidine infusion. The starting dose of carboplatin had a value of 7 for the area under the curve (AUC), with allowance for dose escalation of 1 AUC unit per cycle if grade 2 toxicity was observed. Treatment cycles were repeated every 4 weeks. Accrual as of September 1999 was 45 patients [4 were unevaluable]: 76% with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), 20% with anaplastic oligodendroglioma, 2% with mixed type, and 2% with anaplastic astrocytoma. Most patients had prior chemotherapy (78%). As observed in the earlier phase I study (in which carboplatin pharmacokinetics were unaltered by thymidine or antiseizure medications), thymidine was myeloprotective, resulting in a minimal need for dose reduction for patients having a >2 grade toxicity (in only 4% of the courses of treatment). Of 101 total courses, the number of courses (at the AUCs) was 3 (5), 4 (6), 58 (7), 20 (8), 11 (9), and 5 (10). Grade 3 nonhematologic toxicities included headache (4%), altered consciousness (3%), fatigue (1%), and nausea (3%). Responses included 2 partial (1 oligodendroglioma, 1 GBM; 5%); 3 minor (1 anaplastic astrocytoma, 2 GBM; 7.3%); 6 stable disease (14.6%); and 30 progressive disease (73.2%). For GBM patients, median survival was 23 weeks (with a 95% confidence interval of 20 to 50 weeks), and progression-free survival was 8 weeks (with a 95% confidence interval of 7-16 weeks). These results in GBM were comparable to other phase II GBM trials and thus do not represent a therapeutic advance in the treatment of GBM. Taken collectively, however, results are consistent with continued investigation of thymidine in combination with chemotherapeutic agents for high-grade glioma and other malignant diseases. The significant myeloprotection afforded by thymidine may have particular relevance to polychemotherapeutic regimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792, USA.
authors.forename: H Ian
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Robins
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Prados
authors.forename: W K Alfred
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cloughesy
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Junck
authors.forename: Minesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013936:Thymidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016190:Carboplatin; D013936:Thymidine