Brain Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Cancer, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, treatment.

Etoposide, vincristine, and cyclosporin A with standard-dose radiation therapy in newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic brainstem gliomas: a pediatric oncology group phase I study.

Greenberg ML, Fisher PG, Freeman C, Korones DN, Bernstein M, Friedman H, Blaney S, Hershon L, Zhou T, Chen Z, Kretschmar C

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. mark.greenberg@sickkids.ca

BACKGROUND: Brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are resistant to all therapy. Based on their imaging characteristics, we postulated that inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) associated with endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier might enhance penetration of xenobiotic antineoplastics. PROCEDURE: Seven patients were enrolled in a Phase I study of etoposide, continuous infusion cyclosporine A given with and escalating doses of vincristine and concomitant standard-dose irradiation. RESULTS: Six patients were entered at the first level and one at the second. Closure of the study was mandated by dose-limiting neurotoxicity, consisting of seizures associated with white-matter changes, and alteration of consciousness with bulbar signs. One patient had tumor necrosis at 6 weeks, suggesting some tumor effect. Median survival for the group was 11 months, and for the patients who completed more than 1 month of therapy it was 11 months. CONCLUSION: This regimen proved excessively toxic.

Published 1 September 2005 in Pediatr Blood Cancer, 45(5): 644-8.
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