Treatment updates regarding anaplastic oligodendroglioma and anaplastic oligoastrocytoma

ABSTRACT

Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma / Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma [AO/AOA] is a WHO Grade-III primary brain tumor. These tumors comprise about 5 - 10% of all gliomas, which make them the third most common primary brain tumors after glioblastoma multiforme and astrocytomas. For many years standard of treatment remained Maximum Safe Resection [MSR] followed by Radiotherapy [RT]. These tumors have also been known to be sensitive to alkylator-based chemotherapy particularly the subset having 1p/19q co-deletion signature. There is robust data showing that these tumors are responsive to chemotherapy in recurrent or progressive setting. Recently, up front chemotherapy has been added to standard post-surgery RT. It has been found that subset of AO/AOA having 1p/19q co-deletion responded very well to the addition of chemotherapy. This substantial benefit in terms of median Overall Survival [OS] and median Progression Free Survival [PFS] have intrigued the personalized treatment of AO/AOA on the basis of molecular signature markers