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First Steps After Diagnosis of Cancer
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| Welcome
to The Cancer Information Network |
Adult
Brain Tumor Treatment Information
for Physicians
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Important: This
information is intended mainly for use by doctors and other health care
professionals. If you have questions about this topic, you can ask your
doctor, or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237).
ADULT WELL-DIFFERENTIATED OLIGODENDROGLIOMA
These tumors behave very similarly to the well-differentiated mildly and
moderately anaplastic astrocytomas.
Treatment options:
Standard:
- Surgery plus radiation therapy; however, some controversy exists. Some
physicians treat these patients with surgery alone if the patient is
younger
than 45 years of age and the tumor is not contrast-enhanced on a
computed tomographic scan.[1]
Under clinical evaluation:
- Clinical trials in progress are evaluating the effect of adding drugs
to
local therapy, e.g., radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for
incompletely resected well-differentiated mildly or moderately
anaplastic
astrocytomas.
References:
- Salazar OM, Castro-Vita H, Van Houtte P, et al.:
Improved survival in cases of intracranial ependymoma after radiation
therapy: late report and recommendations. Journal of Neurosurgery 59(4):
652-659, 1983.
For anaplastic oligodendrogliomas of higher grade, the cure rate is low
with standard local treatment.[1] Such patients are
appropriate candidates for clinical trials designed to improve local control
by adding newer forms of treatment.
Treatment options:
Standard:
- 1. Surgery plus radiation therapy.[2-5]
2. Surgery plus radiation therapy plus chemotherapy.[6]
Under clinical evaluation:
- Patients with brain tumors that are either infrequently curable or
unresectable should be considered candidates for clinical trials that
evaluate interstitial brachytherapy, radiosensitizers, hyperthermia, or
intraoperative radiation therapy in conjunction with external-beam
radiation therapy to improve local control of the tumor and/or for
studies that evaluate new drugs and biological response modifiers
following radiation therapy.
References:
- Kyritsis AP, Yung WK, Bruner J, et al.: The treatment
of anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and mixed gliomas. Neurosurgery 32(3):
365-371, 1993.
Bullard DE, Rawlings CE, Phillips BW, et al.:
Oligodendroglioma: an analysis of the value of radiation therapy. Cancer
60(9): 2179-2188, 1987.
Burger PC, Rawlings CE, Cox EB, et al.:
Clinicopathologic correlations in the oligodendroglioma. Cancer 59(7):
1345-1352, 1987.
Lindegaard KF, Mork SJ, Eide GE, et al.:
Statistical analysis of clinicopathological features, radiotherapy, and
survival in 170 cases of oligodendroglioma. Journal of Neurosurgery
67(2): 224-230, 1987.
Wallner KE, Gonzales M, Sheline GE: Treatment of
oligodendrogliomas with or without postoperative irradiation. Journal of
Neurosurgery 68(5): 684-688, 1988.
Cairncross JG, Macdonald DR: Successful
chemotherapy for recurrent malignant oligodendroglioma. Annals of
Neurology 23(4): 360-364, 1988.
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