mitolactol and Ependymoma

This article covers chemotherapy of malignant astrocytomas, ependymoma, and medulloblastoma. The future direction of anticancer drugs is discussed.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Astrocytoma; Brain Neoplasms; Brain Stem; Child; Eflornithine; Ependymoma; Fluorouracil; Glioblastoma; Humans; Hydroxyurea; Lomustine; Medulloblastoma; Methotrexate; Mitoguazone; Mitolactol; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Ornithine; Prednisone; Risk; Thioguanine; Vincristine

Ten children with posterior scala tumor infiltrating the surrounding brain substance and/or the brain stem entered in the present study with preoperative chemotherapy. In 8 of the 10 cases regression and necrosis of the tumor were seen by CT examination after the preoperative therapy. The diameter of the tumor decreased on the average by 35.6% (14.0-74.3%). The main side effect was granulocytopenia. According to our observation, the preoperative therapy enables a more radical surgery in some cases of medulloblastoma and ependymoma. Further observations are necessary to confirm these preliminary results.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Astrocytoma; Brain; Brain Neoplasms; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Child; Child, Preschool; Choroid Plexus Neoplasms; Ear Neoplasms; Ependymoma; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Medulloblastoma; Methotrexate; Mitolactol; Procarbazine; Remission Induction; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vincristine

The authors have conducted a Phase II trial to evaluate orally administered dibromodulcitol in the treatment of 40 evaluable patients with recurrent medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and malignant astrocytoma. Ten of 20 patients harboring medulloblastoma responded to therapy with a median time to tumor progression (MTP) of 40 weeks, and four of 20 patients had no sign of progression of disease 4 years after treatment was begun. The MTP for all 12 patients with ependymoma was 30 weeks. Nine of these 12 patients had stabilization of their disease with an MTP of 67 weeks; three of these 12 patients had no signs of progression for 1 to 3 years after treatment was begun. Of six patients harboring supratentorial gliomas, none responded to dibromodulcitol. Two patients, one with a primitive neuroectodermal tumor and the other with a metastatic carcinoma of the breast, had stabilization of disease for more than 4 and 2 years, respectively.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Brain Neoplasms; Child; Child, Preschool; Dianhydrogalactitol; Drug Evaluation; Ependymoma; Female; Glioma; Humans; Male; Medulloblastoma; Middle Aged; Mitolactol; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local