Paclitaxel for Glioblastoma – pro
Lay Summary: Paclitaxel has some activity for glioblastoma.
Despite advances in neurosurgery and radiotherapy, the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains poor. Paclitaxel IV as single agent is not particularly effctive in globlastoma with true response rates somewhre in the range of 13% but much higher reported trates of stability. Reports in the literature about the radiosensitizing properties of paclitaxel led to several studies of it as a radiosensitizer with standard radiation or radiosurgery. There are, however, no phase III studies of this approach in any setting as there are for BCNU or temazolamide. These are the only two drugs that are mentioned by NCCN as potentially useful for recurrent GBM.
H. Ashamalla, B. Zaki, H. Nasr, F. Colella, D. Dosik, M. Krishnamurthy, W. Vance, N. Saad, A. GuriguisPhase I/II fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy and weekly paclitaxel in malignant gliomas. International Journal of Radiation OncologyBiologyPhysics, Volume 57, Issue 2, Page S377
Pk Julka, Bs Awasthy, Gk Rath, S Agarwal, T Varna, Ak Mahapatra, R Singh (2000)
A study of concurrent radiochemotherapy with paclitaxel in glioblastoma multiforme
Australasian Radiology 44 (1), 84–87.
http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/cns.pdf
T. J. Postma,, J. J. Heimans, S. A. Luykx et al, A phase II study of paclitaxel in chemonaïve patients with recurrent high-grade glioma Annals of Oncology 11:409-413, 2000