Cisplatin and BCNU chemotherapy for anaplastic oligoastrocytomas

In this study 32 newly diagnosed anaplastic oligoastrocytoma patients were enrolled (median age of 41 years, range 19-63; median Karnofsky performance status of 90, range 70-100). All patients were treated with Cisplatin (109 mg/m2) and BCNU (160 mg/m2). The chemotherapy started in the first week after surgery and it was administered every 6 weeks (5 scheduled cycles) for a total of 127 cycles. After the second cycle of chemotherapy all patients received radiotherapy (56.5 Gy). The median follow-up was 63.2 months (10-91). Nine patients were reoperated-on. The median time to tumor progression (TTP) and median survival time (ST) for the whole group of patients were 54.6 and 70.1 months, respectively. A proportional hazard model was used to look at potential prognostic factors for survival including lower age (< 40 years), extent of surgery (total/subtotal versus partial) and reoperation. When we analyzed the group of patients with total/subtotal surgery or age under 40 years the median ST could not be assessed due to the high number of surviving patients after a follow-up of 52 months. The median ST for the older patients or for patients partially operated-on was 54.1 and 42.2 months. In our study only total/subtotal surgery predicted for longer survival (p < 0.001). This schedule of treatment provides durable response in a selected group of anaplastic oligoastrocytoma patients.