Current Clinical Trials

Recurrence is not uncommon in both benign and malignant childhood brain tumors and may develop many years after initial treatment.[1] Disease can be at the primary tumor site or, especially in malignant tumors, at noncontiguous central nervous system sites. Systemic relapse is rare but may occur. At time of relapse, a complete evaluation for extent of recurrence is indicated for all malignant tumors and, at times, for benign lesions. Biopsy or surgical resection may be necessary for confirmation of relapse because other entities, such as secondary tumor and treatment-related brain necrosis, may be clinically indistinguishable from tumor recurrence. The need for surgical intervention must be individualized on the basis of the initial tumor type, the length of time between initial treatment and the reappearance of the lesion, and the clinical picture. Patients with supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors or pineoblastomas that recur after radiation therapy alone should be considered for treatment with known active agents, which include vincristine, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, and etoposide; response is seen in more than 50% of patients.[2,3] Entry into studies of novel therapeutic approaches at the time of relapse after radiation therapy alone or radiation therapy and chemotherapy should be considered.[4,5] Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site ¹.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent childhood supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor ² and childhood pineoblastoma ³. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site ⁴.

References

1. Jenkin D, Greenberg M, Hoffman H, et al.: Brain tumors in children: long-term survival after radiation treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 31 (3): 445-51, 1995.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Cangir A, van Eys J, Berry DH, et al.: Combination chemotherapy with MOPP in children with recurrent brain tumors. Med Pediatr Oncol 4 (3): 253-61, 1978.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Needle MN, Molloy PT, Geyer JR, et al.: Phase II study of daily oral etoposide in children with recurrent brain tumors and other solid tumors. Med Pediatr Oncol 29 (1): 28-32, 1997.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
4. Gaynon PS, Ettinger LJ, Baum ES, et al.: Carboplatin in childhood brain tumors. A Children's Cancer Study Group Phase II trial. Cancer 66 (12): 2465-9, 1990.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
5. Gentet JC, Doz F, Bouffet E, et al.: Carboplatin and VP 16 in medulloblastoma: a phase II Study of the French Society of Pediatric Oncology (SFOP). Med Pediatr Oncol 23 (5): 422-7, 1994.  [PUBMED Abstract]