title: Radiation and concomitant chemotherapy for patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
abstract: Postoperative external beam radiotherapy was considered the standard adjuvant treatment for patients with glioblastoma multiforme until the advent of using the drug temozolomide (TMZ) in addition to radiotherapy. High-dose volume should be focal, minimizing whole brain irradiation. Modern imaging, using several magnetic resonance sequences, has improved the planning target volume definition. The total dose delivered should be in the range of 60 Gy in fraction sizes of 1.8-2.0 Gy. Currently, TMZ concomitant and adjuvant to radiotherapy has become the standard of care for glioblastoma multiforme patients. Radiotherapy dose-intensification and radiosensitizer approaches have not improved the outcome. In spite of the lack of high quality evidence, stereotactic radiotherapy can be considered for a selected group of patients. For elderly patients, data suggest that the same survival benefit can be achieved with similar morbidity using a shorter course of radiotherapy (hypofractionation). Elderly patients with tumors that exhibit methylation of the O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter can benefit from TMZ alone.
authors: Radiation Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, HU Germans Trias, Badalona 08916, Catalonia, Spain. svilla@iconcologia.net.
authors: Salvador
authors: S
authors: Villà
authors: Carme
authors: C
authors: Balañà
authors: Sílvia
authors: S
authors: Comas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016634:Radiosurgery; D000077204:Temozolomide; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D003606:Dacarbazine; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases; C515491:MGMT protein, human; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes; D000077204:Temozolomide