ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Although TMZ replaced BCNU as the standard initial chemotherapy in the treatment of GBM, no studies have been reported comparing BCNU with TMZ. We therefore did a retrospective analysis comparing these agents as initial therapy in GBM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-one patients with GBM in our institution received both radiation and chemotherapy as initial treatment after surgery or biopsy; 49 receiving BCNU and 32 TMZ. These were analyzed for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) versus the type of chemotherapy used. The influence of salvage therapy on the outcome was investigated also. RESULTS: Median OS was superior in the TMZ versus the BCNU group (15.9 vs. 11.5 months) and the curves were judged to be significantly different by the log-rank test; P < 0.02. However, PFS was not significantly different between the two groups. Bevacizumab plus irinotecan (BI) was used as salvage therapy in one-third of the TMZ patients but in none of the BCNU patients. When patients receiving BI were omitted from the TMZ group the OS curve overlapped that of BCNU patients. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the superior OS of the TMZ-treated GBM patients was not due to better tumor control by TMZ but was possibly related to the newer salvage therapy that was available to them.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/therapeutic use , Carmustine/therapeutic use , Central Nervous System Neoplasms/therapy , Dacarbazine/analogs & derivatives , Glioblastoma/therapy , Combined Modality Therapy , Dacarbazine/therapeutic use , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging , Radiotherapy/methods , Retrospective Studies , Salvage Therapy/methods , Temozolomide , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Maffucci's syndrome consists of multiple cutaneous hemangiomas, dyschondroplasia, and enchondromas with potential for malignant change. We report a case of a 33-year-old man with Maffucci's syndrome who presented with a several month history of nasal congestion, facial pain, and diminished vision in his left eye. Radiological studies showed a large soft tissue mass centered in the sinonasal area, extending bilaterally into maxillary sinuses and orbits with compression of left optic nerve. Biopsy of the mass showed esthesioneuroblastoma (olfactory neuroblastoma). Chemotherapy resulted in initial improvement, but the tumor recurred and did not respond to further treatment, resulting in his death. Sarcomatous tumors are reported in Maffucci's syndrome, but this is a rare case of a neuroendocrine tumor in a patient with Maffucci's syndrome.
