title: Effectiveness of novel combination chemotherapy, consisting of 5-fluorouracil, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and etoposide, in the treatment of low-grade gliomas in children.
abstract: Low-grade gliomas (LGG), which account for about 30% of brain tumors in children, are usually treated with surgical excision and/or radiotherapy. For patients who have significant residual tumor after resection or relapse after radiation, the proper chemotherapy regimen has not yet been identified. Thirteen children diagnosed with LGG outside the cerebellum between January 1999 and December 2004, all of whom had significant residual tumor after surgical resection, relapsed after radiation or showed visual deterioration, were treated for 18 months with a multi-drug regimen of vincristine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil. Of the 7 patients who completed chemotherapy, 1 showed complete response (CR), 5 showed partial response (PR), and 1 had stable disease (SD). In 5 patients, chemotherapy was prematurely discontinued; 4 of these patients showed tumor progression and 1 had SD. One patient is still undergoing treatment. The side effects of chemotherapy were manageable. The median time to tumor response was 34 months (range, 2-82 months). The progression free survival was 67.3%. Pediatric LGG patients with residual tumor after surgery or who undergo relapse(s) may be successfully treated using our combination chemotherapy regimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mee Jeong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Shin
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ra
authors.forename: Jun Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Goo
authors.forename: Seung Do
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Shin Kwang
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Khang
authors.forename: Joon Sup
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yoon Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Thad T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ghim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000188:drug therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil