A NOVEL REGIMEN FOR REFRACTORY MEDULLOBLASTOMA

Childs Nerv Syst. 2013 Oct;29(10):1851-8. doi: 10.1007/s00381-013-2163-z. Epub 2013 Jun 9.

Irinotecan, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide for refractory or relapsed medulloblastoma/PNET in pediatric patients.

Kim H, Kang HJ, Lee JW, Park JD, Park KD, Shin HY, Ahn HS.

Source

Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The treatment outcome of pediatric refractory or relapsed brain tumor is very dismal, and effective salvage chemotherapy is not established. The combination of irinotecan, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide was administered to pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed brain tumors as a salvage treatment at our institution.

METHODS:

The combination regimen was administered since June 2006 and consisted of irinotecan (300 mg/m(2), d0), vincristine (2 mg/m(2), d0), cisplatin (60 mg/m(2), d0), cyclophosphamide (1,000 mg/m(2), d1), and etoposide (100 mg/m(2)/day, d0-2). Patients could concurrently receive radiotherapy, surgery, and/or high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell rescue. The medical records of all patients were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS:

Thirteen patients with refractory or relapsed brain tumor were included (medulloblastoma, n = 12; central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumor, n = 1). Median time from diagnosis to this combination chemotherapy was 30 months (range, 3-111 months), and median cycle administered was four cycles (range 1-22 cycles). Objective tumor response at the end of chemotherapy was 38.5 % including three patients with complete response and two with partial response. One patient showed complete response and achieved long-term survival with this combination chemotherapy, and two patients achieved long-term survival with multimodality treatments. There was no grade III or IV toxicity related to this combination chemotherapy except for thrombocytopenia and neutropenia.

CONCLUSIONS:

The combination of irinotecan, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide may produce objective responses in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed medulloblastoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor.