Temozolomide chemotherapy in recurrent oligodendroglioma

The authors determined the tolerance, response rate, and duration of recurr ent anaplastic oligodendroglioma in 30 patients to temozolomide given orall y at 150 to 200 mg/m(2) on days 1 through 5 in cycles of 28 days. Nine pati ents responded: 7 of 27 patients (26%) treated with temozolomide after prio r PCV chemotherapy and 2 of 3 chemotherapy-naive patients (both complete re sponse). Median time to progression in responding patients was 13 months. T emozolomide shows promise and has an acceptable safety profile in recurrent anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors. Patients not responding to PCV may res pond to temozolomide.