title: Boron neutron capture therapy with bevacizumab may prolong the survival of recurrent malignant glioma patients: four cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recurrent malignant gliomas (RMGs) are very difficult to control, and no standard treatments have been established for them. We performed boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for patients with RMG. BNCT enables high-dose particle radiation to be applied selectively to tumor cells. However, RMG cases generally receive nearly 60 Gy X-ray irradiation prior to re-irradiation by BNCT. Therefore, even with tumor-selective particle radiation BNCT, radiation necrosis in the brain and symptomatic pseudoprogression may develop. In four of our recent patients with RMG after BNCT, we applied the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab to treat two pathological entities. This approach appeared to prolong survival. Here we present the case reports of these four consecutive patients with RMG and discuss the novel use of bevacizumab in this context.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four patients with RMGs were treated with BNCT at our institutes. Upon the referral for BNCT, they were assessed as belonging to the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class 3 (n = 3 patients) or RPA class 4 (n = 1 patient) (the RPA classification for RMG was advocated by Carson et al. in 2007). The estimated median survival times for RPA classes 3 and 4 were 3.8 and 10.8 months, respectively, after some treatment at the recurrence. We applied BNCT for these four patients and administered bevacizumab when the lesions were considered radiation necrosis or symptomatic pseudoprogression. The class 3 patients survived after the BNCT for 14, 16.5 and > 23 months, and the class 4 patient survived > 26 months, with favorable improvements in clinical symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BNCT with the addition of bevacizumab for radiation necrosis or symptomatic pseudoprogression improved the clinical symptoms and prolonged the survival in RMG patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan. neu070@poh.osaka-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyatake
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: Motomasa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroiwa
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D016754:Boron Neutron Capture Therapy; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D013534:Survival
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068258:Bevacizumab