A PHASE-II EVALUATION OF PENTOXIFYLLINE COMBINED WITH RADIATION IN THE TREATMENT OF BRAIN METASTASES

Pentoxifylline (PTX) has pharmacological properties that suggest poten tial utility as a radiation sensitizer, and preclinical animal studies have been promising. In a nonrandomized phase II trial, we used PTX p lus standard-dose external-beam whole-brain radiation treatment (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases. Seventeen patients were entered; 1 4 received both WBRT and PTX and were considered evaluable. Nine of th e 14 completed treatment. Analyzing data on ail 14 evaluable patients according to intent to treat, median survival time was 33 days, compar able to published data from historical controls. PTX toxicity was not a common cause of patient dropout, supporting higher PTX doses in futu re trials.