Breakthrough In Medical Research: New Chemotherapy Gives Hope To Brain Tumour Patients

A large international study conducted by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) Clinical Trials Group demonstrated that the addition of a novel chemotherapy agent, Temozolomide (brand name: Temodal®) to radiation therapy increases survival in patients suffering from glioblastoma, a very aggressive form of a brain tumour. Further, molecular analyses of the tumour allowed for the identification of those patients most likely to benefit from this type of treatment. The findings are leading to a new standard of care for patients with this fast growing and devastating cancer. The results of this landmark trial are published in two companion papers in this weeks' edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (publication date: 10 March 2005).

Prior to the discovery of this new therapy, the average life expectancy of patients with glioblastoma was about 1 year. The results of this study demonstrate a clear improvement of survival. At 2 years only 10% of patients treated with radiotherapy alone were alive, compared to 26% of patients receiving the combination of both radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy. If patients were to be selected according to their molecular profile - the investigators analysed the functionality of a gene responsible for DNA repair, the so called MGMT gene - the improvement is even more dramatic, as almost half of those patients whose tumours carry an inactivated MGMT gene are alive after 2 years. Importantly, the study also showed that this new combined therapy did not impact negatively on the patients' quality of life. Health-related quality of life has become an increasingly important endpoint in cancer studies.

"This landmark study represents the most important advance in the management of glioblastoma since radiotherapy was shown to be of benefit over 35 years ago", comments Dr. Warren Mason, a lead investigators in Canada and head of the neuro-oncology unit at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Torono, Ontario/Canada. "This study also identified MGMT the first clinically relevant molecular marker for glioblastoma which not only serves as a prognositic factor for survival, but also as a predictor for response to chemotherapy. This observation paves the way for using the unique tumor genetic signature as a guide for individualizing therapy and optimizing outcome."

From: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer