IN AN EFFORT to improve survival from malignant gliomas, investigators
have used intratumoral chemotherapy protocols to deliver high doses o
f tumoricidal agents directly to the brain. Theoretically, these infus
ions bypass the blood-brain barrier, minimize systemic drug levels and
the side effects of chemotherapy, and achieve prolonged elevations of
intracerebral chemotherapeutic agents relative to those obtainable by
systemic administration. Almost all major classes of chemotherapeutic
agents have been examined as possible intratumoral therapies via deli
very approaches ranging from simple intratumoral injections to implant
able computer-driven constant infusion pumps and biodegradable polymer
matrices. In this review, we summarize the major clinical trials and
experimental investigations underlying the development of intratumoral
chemotherapy as a treatment for gliomas.