Chemotherapy Followed by Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Malignant Glioma

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 1969-12-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of cladribine followed by radiation therapy in treating patients who have malignant glioma.

• Phase: Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Treatments: Cladribine

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven high-grade glioma confined to 1 or both hemispheres of the brain and including: Grade III astrocytoma (anaplastic astrocytoma) Grade IV astrocytoma (glioblastoma multiforme) ineligible for NCI-95-C-0069 protocol Histologic confirmation of high-grade astrocytoma by NIH neuropathology division required (including mandatory review of slides from biopsy or resection) No evidence of metastatic or leptomeningeal spread

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Over 18 Performance status: Karnofsky 60-100% ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: Greater than 6 months Hematopoietic: WBC at least 3,500/mm3 Absolute granulocyte count at least 900/mm3 Absolute leukocyte count at least 900/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL Hepatic: Liver function tests no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal Renal: Creatinine clearance at least 95 mL/min Creatinine no greater than 1.3 mg/dL Other: No history of psychiatric disease that would prevent compliance No other malignancy within the past 5 years except: Basal cell carcinoma of the skin Carcinoma in situ of the cervix Not pregnant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: No systemic chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No prior cranial radiotherapy Surgery: No more than 3 months since surgery (biopsy; subtotal or near-total resection)