[Difference in the therapeutic efficacy between anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme types]

We have investigated the differences in therapeutic efficacy between 25 cases with an anaplastic astrocytoma (AA group) and 31 cases with a glioblastoma multiforme (GM group). A good response to induction therapy was achieved with radiation and nitrosourea after a (sub) total removal that led to a prolonged tumor-free interval that was remarkable in the AA group, especially in those with moderate anaplastic astrocytoma. On the other hand, in the GM group, early recurrence tended to occur with no correlation to the degree of the tumor resection, and this made the execution of the maintenance therapy difficult in spite of a similar response to the initial induction therapy as that seen in the AA group.