Chemoradiotherapy for brain tumors: current status and perspectives.
Brain tumors growing in the parenchyma of the brain infiltrate diffusely, and the role of surgery is restricted to maximal tumor-bulk removal. Residual tumor cells beyond the surgical margin are not killed by conventional radiation therapy with 60 'Gy. Many clinical trials delivering chemotherapy during radiation therapy and after radiation therapy have been performed, but the results remain poor. Here the author reviews the current treatments of gliomas, malignant lymphomas, medulloblastomas, and germ cell tumors, and their results.
Matsutani
Masao
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Saitama Medical School, 38 Morohongo, Moroyamamachi, Iruma-gun, Saitama, 350-0495, Japan. matutani@saitama-med.ac.jp
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery