Radiation Plus Thalidomide for Malignant Brain Tumor

Study looks at Radiation plus Thalidomide To Treat the Most Malignant Brain Tumor

A new Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) study will determine if the drug thalidomide combined with radiation therapy will lengthen the survival time and time of recurrence in adults with glioblastoma multiforme, the most malignant brain tumor.

Despite important advances in diagnosis and therapy, malignant gliomas tend to recur and progress at or near their original location. A key feature in this type of tumor is the large number of involved blood vessels, which accounts for its severity. In the laboratory, thalidomide has appeared to inhibit angiogenesis, the proliferation of new blood vessels, according one of the study chairmen, W.K. Alfred Yung, M.D. of the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. Thalidomide also has potential because it is an agent with minimal toxicity, which may allow for long term maintenance therapy, he added.

This RTOG research project has brought about renewed interest in thalidomide, the drug that was developed in the 1950s. It was first used for morning sickness during pregnancy and as a sleeping pill until it was discovered that it caused severe birth defects.

After a diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme, either through biopsy or resection, the patient will begin the combined treatment of radiation therapy and thalidomide. The radiation therapy will be given five days a week for six weeks.

Radiation therapy and the daily oral thalidomide therapy are started at the same time. Thalidomide therapy may continue until evidence of reoccurrence or progression is found.

"We hope that the final results will provide a stable and reliable determination of the benefits of the combined therapies along with dosage information in regards to thalidomide," Dr. Yung said.

The RTOG is a federally funded cancer clinical trials cooperative group, which carries out multi-disciplinary research nationwide. It is a major clinical research component of the American College of Radiology. For further information about RTOG and clinical trials please call Nancy Smith at (215) 574-3205.

###