Sm. Oreilly et al., TEMOZOLOMIDE - A NEW ORAL CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENT WITH PROMISING ACTIVITY AGAINST PRIMARY BRAIN-TUMORS, European journal of cancer, 29A(7), 1993, pp. 940-942
Temozolomide, a new oral cytotoxic agent, has been given to 28 patient
s with primary brain tumours. Treatment was given at a dose of 150 Mg/
M2/day for 5 days (i.e. total dose 750 mg/m2) escalating, if no signif
icant myelosuppression was noted on day 22, to 200 mg/M2/day for 5 day
s (i.e. total dose 1000 mg/m2) for subsequent courses at 4 week interv
als. A major improvement in computer tomography (CT) scan was noted in
5/10 patients with astrocytomas recurrent after radiotherapy, with a
major clinical improvement but minor improvement on CT scan in one fur
ther patient. Reduction in the size of the CT lesion was also observed
in 4/7 patients with newly diagnosed high grade astrocytomas given 2-
3 courses of temozolomide prior to irradiation. 1 patient with recurre
nt medulloblastoma had a clinical response in bone metastases. Temozol
omide was well tolerated with little subjective toxicity and usually p
redictable myelosuppression and is a promising new drug in the treatme
nt of primary brain tumours.