Prolonged response without prolonged chemotherapy: A lesson from PCV chemotherapy in low-grade gliomas.

Abstract

e12519 Background: Previous studies with temozolomide suggest that a prolonged duration of chemotherapy is important for treating low-grade gliomas (LGGs). The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the impact of first-line PCV chemotherapy on LGGs growth. Methods: For this purpose, the mean tumor diameter (MTD) of 21 LGGs was evaluated on serial magnetic resonance images before (n = 13), during and after PCV onset (= 21). Results: During PCV, a decrease of the MTD was observed in all patients. After the end of PCV, though at a slower rate, a continuing decrease of the MTD was observed in 20 out of 21 patients. Median duration of this persistent decrease was 2.7 years (0-7 years). According to MacDonald's criteria, the rates of partial and minor responses were 44% at the end of PCV (6% partial and 38% minor responses) but 75 % at the time of maximal tumor response, after a median of 3.4 years following PCV onset (43% partial and 32% minor responses). A persistent and prolonged decrease of L...