Brain Cancers

Proton Beam Radiotherapy for Craniospinal Radiation – pro

Proton beam therapy is similar to 3-Dimensional and cofnromal readiatherapy but it uses  proton beams that are directed to the tumor. Protons are positive parts of atoms. Unlike x-rays, which are what conventional radiation emplys, protons release energy both before and after they hit their target. If interst to physicians,  protons cause little damage to tissues they pass through and release their energy after traveling a certain distance. The

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Vincristine, carboplatin and temazolamide for low grade astrocytoma – pro

Low grade astrocytoma occurrs in adults and children. Radiotherapy is relatively contraindicated in children because it affects their intellectual growth. Chemotherapy may be used in young children to avoid or to delay radiotherapy because of its potential neurologic sequelae. To date, the most active chemotherapy regimen for these tumors is carboplatin and vincristine. These agents show objective response rates of 50-80% and produce prolonged stable

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Chemotherapy for anaplastic meningioma – pro

In a 2008 review of atypical and anaplastic-meningiomas by Yang et al, the mean overall survival for atypical meningiomas was found to be 11.9 years vs. 3.3 years for anaplastic meningiomas. Mean relapse-free survival for atypical meningiomas was 11.5 years vs. 2.7 years for anaplastic meningiomas. Meningiomas are often vascularized tumors and and it is reasonable to consider antiangiogenic therapy for meningioma. In particular, malignant meningiomas

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Thalidomide for glioblastoma – pro

Glioblastoma Multiforme is a disease in which significant progress has been achieved over the past two decades and much investigation of novel drugs in ongoing. One such drug that has been extensively studied is thalidomide.  An early study(Marx et al) assessed 38 patients for response. Two patients (5%) achieved a partial response and 16 (42%) had stable disease. The median survival was 31 weeks and the 1-year survival was 35%. Patients who had

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How to follow brain metastases after radiosurgery – pro

How to follow a patient with treated brain metastases is becoming a more and more actual clinical problem as treatments that control systemic disease continue to improve. It is not uncommon now to follow a patient for many months or even years after treatment of metastatic disease without new metastases developing. One study reported a median time of 8.8 months to new metastasis after radiosurgery. Patients with 3 or more lesions and cancer histologies

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Irinotecan for brain metastases of breast and lung cancer -pro

Because irinotecan penetrates the brain-blood barrier and has an effect in primary brain cancer, there is some interest in using it for brain metastasis, especially for lung cancer and breast cancer. Most studies of irinotecan had been for brain mets of small(SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer(NSMCLC) and not breast cancer and have had mixed results. One study reported complete responses with irinotecan-based chemotherapy for brain metastases in

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Ganglioglioma – pro

Gangliogliomas are rare pediatric brain tumors composed of transformed neuronal and glial elements, with rare malignant progression of the glial component, that are fortunately associated with a high rate of cure. Only about 10% behave aggessively. Because of their rarity, no prospective studies have been performed regarding gangliogliomas. Data suggest a historic 20-year survival rate of approximately 80 percent. According to a recent review of

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Adjuvant Temodar for Glioblastoma: Dose and schedule – pro

Chemoradiation after resection is well established for glioblastoma. Three randomized studies, MR, EIRTC and RTOG have all showed a benefit for it.TEMODAR® (temozolomide) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme concomitantly with radiotherapy and then as maintenance treatment.  One way to dose Temodar is with the Stupp protocol: Temodar 75 mg/m2 for 42 days with radiation. This is the dose and

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Schwannoma: chemotherapy – pro

Peripheral nerve sheath tumor with metastases is rare. This term is preferred to older designations such as malignant schwannomas and neurofibrosarcomas. It is most common in the deep soft tissue, usually in close proximity of a nerve trunk. The most common sites include the sciatic nerve, brachial plexus, and sarcal plexus. The first-line treatmenet is surgical resection with wide margins. Chemotherapy (e.g. high-dose doxorubicin) and often radiotherapy

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Xeloda for glioblastoma – pro

Lay Summary: Xeloda is being investigated for GBM. Capecitabine (Xeloda) is a drug that damages the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of tumor cells and blocks the function of DNA and RNA (ribonucleic acid) of tumor cells. These actions help to kill the tumor cells. Celecoxib is a drug that may help to prevent the development of some types of cancer by blocking a type of enzyme (COX-2) that is found in tumor cells. Temozolomide and CCNU are the current

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