New therapeutic approaches for brain tumors.

Abstract

In the last decade, advances in the treatment of primary neuroglial tumors of the central nervous system in adults have been modest. Theories regarding their resistance to treatment have changed little, although now the heterogeneity of anaplastic astrocytomas is recognized. The most effective chemotherapeutic agents--the nitrosoureas and procarbazine--have been used for more than a decade, with no comparably active drugs identified in the meantime. The authors have initiated clinical trials using inhibitors of polyamine synthesis and augmentation of the known effectiveness of irradiation. These programs will be described with preliminary observations.