Lack of efficacy of bevacizumab plus irinotecan in children with recurrent malignant glioma and diffuse brainstem glioma: a Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium study.
OBJECTIVE
A phase II study of bevacizumab (BVZ) plus irinotecan (CPT-11) was conducted in children with recurrent malignant glioma (MG) and intrinsic brainstem glioma (BSG).


METHODS
Eligible patients received two doses of BVZ intravenously (10 mg/kg) 2 weeks apart and then BVZ plus CPT-11 every 2 weeks until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity, or a maximum of 2 years of therapy. Correlative studies included diffusion weighted and T1 dynamic contrast-enhanced permeability imaging, BVZ pharmacokinetics, and estimation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) phosphorylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after single-agent BVZ.


RESULTS
Thirty-one evaluable patients received a median of two courses of BVZ plus CPT-11 (range, 1 to 19). No sustained responses were observed in either stratum. Median time to progression for all 34 eligible patients enrolled was 127 days for MG and 71 days for BSG. Progression-free survival rates at 6 months were 41.8% and 9.7% for MG and BSG, respectively. Toxicities related to BVZ included grade 1 to 3 fatigue in seven patients, grade 1 to 2 hypertension in seven patients, grade 1 CNS hemorrhage in four patients, and grade 4 CNS ischemia in two patients. The mean diffusion ratio decreased after two doses of BVZ in patients with MG only. Vascular permeability parameters did not change significantly after therapy in either stratum. Inhibition of VEGFR-2 phosphorylation in PBMC was detected in eight of 11 patients after BVZ exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
BVZ plus CPT-11 was well-tolerated but had minimal efficacy in children with recurrent malignant glioma and brainstem glioma.
Gururangan
Sridharan
S
Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. gurur002@mc.duke.edu
Chi
Susan N
SN
Young Poussaint
Tina
T
Onar-Thomas
Arzu
A
Gilbertson
Richard J
RJ
Vajapeyam
Sridhar
S
Friedman
Henry S
HS
Packer
Roger J
RJ
Rood
Brian N
BN
Boyett
James M
JM
Kun
Larry E
LE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D002648:Child; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000077146:Irinotecan; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2; D002166:Camptothecin