Background: Treatment options for patients with recurrent brain metastases
are extremely limited. This study was designed to determine the safety and
efficacy of temozolomide in the treatment of recurrent or progressive brain
metastases.
Patients and methods: Forty-one patients (11 men, 30 women) with a median K
PS of 80 were treated with temozolomide 150 mg/m(2)/day (200 mg/m(2)/day if
no prior chemotherapy) for 5 days; treatment cycles were repeated every 28
days. Primary tumor types included 22 non-small cell lung, 10 breast, thre
e melanoma, two small cell lung, two rectal, one ovarian and one endometria
l cancer.
Results: There were five episodes of grade 3 thrombocytopenia and one grade
4 leukopenia. Significant non-hematologic toxicity possibly related to tem
ozolomide included pneumonitis [2], constipation [1], and elevated liver en
zymes [2]. Thirty-four patients were assessed for radiographic response; tw
o had a partial response, 15 stable disease and 17 progressed. Both objecti
ve responses were seen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Overall
median survival was 6.6 months.
Conclusions: Single agent temozolomide achieved disease control (PR or SD)
in 41% of patients with recurrent brain metastases from a variety of primar
y malignancies with minimal toxicity. Therefore, temozolomide may be a reas
onable treatment option for some patients with recurrent brain metastases.