Neuro-oncology
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We conducted a single-arm phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy combined with 6-thioguanine, procarbazine, dibromodulcitol, lomustine, and vincristine (TPDCV) chemotherapy for treating malignant astrocytoma in children and anaplastic ependymoma in patients of all ages. Between 1984 and 1992, 42 patients who had malignant astrocytomas (glioblastomas multiforme, anaplastic astrocytomas, or mixed anaplastic oligoastrocytomas) were treated with TPDCV chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Of these patients, 40 were younger than 18 years, but 2 were older (22 and 23 years) when treated. ⋯ The combination of TPDCV and radiotherapy has activity against childhood anaplastic astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme, and anaplastic ependymoma. The results of this study for children with glioblastoma were comparable to results in the literature, while the results for children with anaplastic astrocytoma appeared better than most reports. The combination of TPDCV chemotherapy and radiation therapy for anaplastic ependymomas appears to be active and at least as good as published reports using radiation therapy alone.