Salvage Chemotherapy for Recurrent Primary Brain Tumors in Children
Salvage chemotherapy for recurrent primary brain tumors in children Jan van Eys, PhD, MD, Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, Ayten Cangir, MD, Janet M. Bruner, MD, and J. Martinez-Prieto, MD From the Departments of Pediatrics, Neurooncology, and Pathology, The Universityof Texas M, D. Anderson Cancer Center at Houston Sixty consecutive evaluable children with recurrent primary tumors of the central nervous system were treated with a regimen of vincristine, nitrogen mustard, procarbazine, and prednisone over a 12-year period. Tumor types included medulloblastoma (19), brain-stem glioma (16), astrocytoma (13), and a miscellaneous glioma (12). Responses and sustained survivals were achieved. Responses were highly dependent on tumor type. Disease progres- sion was halted in 73% of the children with medulloblastoma, and three have survived in complete remission for more than 10 years from the start of therapy with vincristine, nitrogen mustard, procarbazine, and prednisone. Two of four patients with anaplastic glioma, are long-term survivors. In contrast, less than one third of children with brain-stem gliomas responded. Toxicity consisted mainly of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, infections, and rarely a procarba- zine rash. (J PEDIAI'R1988;113:601-6) Therapy for recurrent brain tumors in children remains METHODS unsatisfactory; most die of their disease regardless of Patients. Sixty-five children with a median age of 6 therapy, l We have repbrted on the responsiveness of years (range, 1 to 16 years) were treated with MOPP for recurrent brain tumors in children to chemotherapy with recurrent brain tumors. Sixty patients were eligible for vincristine, nitrogen mustard, procarbazine, and predni- evaluation; the other five patients were excluded because 1 sone.
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