STUDY OF USE SEQUENTIAL CHEMOTHERAPY IN 176 CASES OF GLIOBLASTOMA

Abstract

Sequential administration of VM26 [4''-demethylepipodophyllotoxin thenylidine-.beta.-D-glycoside] and CCNU [1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea] has been used in France for the treatment of glioblastoma since 1973. Results have shown that this association can cause a remission lasting, on average, from 7-8 mo. after starting chemotherapy. It seem that, adding adriamycin to this sequential therapy does not increase its efficiency. On the other side, dosage and the interval between cycles of chemotherapy appear to be a determining factor in the activity, but the limits are very narrow. Therapy is either ineffective or has doubtful efficiency in about one third of patients, and even when prolonged clincial remission is obtained, cessation of therapy, usually due to a persistent thrombopenia is followed by progression of the tumor in the following months. The large amount of research being made in the field of cellular kinetics and pharmacology will, hopefully, lead to improvement in results.