Treatment Information

Back

Brain – Glioblastoma Multiforme treatment details. Chemotherapy, Biologic therapy.

University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:4City/State/Province:San Francisco, California
Treatments:Chemotherapy, Biologic therapyHospital:University of California San Francisco
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Apr 2003

Description:

Patients: This Phase II study involved a total of 121 patients with recurrent malignant gliomas. Eighty patients had glioblastoma multiforme and 41 patients had anaplastic glioma.

Treatment: Patients were divided into two treatment groups. Patients in Group A received two drugs – RMP-7 (bradykinin analog to open blood brain barrier) and carboplatin (paraplatin). Patients in Group B received only carboplatin (paraplatin) with placebo.

Toxicity: Toxicity was mainly hematological and there were no differences in grade 3 or grade 4 hematologic toxicity between the groups (those that received RMP-7 with carboplatin and those that only received carboplatin). Compared to placebo patients however, those patients who received RMP-7 (Group A) had a higher number of the following adverse events: vasodilation, nausea, headache, astehenia, abdominal pain, tachycardia, and back pain.

Results: Median survival for the glioblastoma multiforme patients who received RMP-7 with carboplatin was 24.0 weeks (5.6 months). The authors concluded, “In summary, carboplatin in combination with RMP-7 in the doses and schedules used in this trial was not successful in patients with recurrent malignant glioma.”

Correspondence: M. Prados, MD

Support: The biotechnology company, Alkermes is involved in developing and commercializing RMP-7. The study was supported in part by Alkermes and two of the study authors have a financial interest in RMP-7.




Back