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DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• - Histologically confirmed supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme (with areas of necrosis) by surgical biopsy or excision within 4 weeks of study.

• - Tumor and/or any associated edema limited to one hemisphere and unifocal.

• - No gross invasion of a ventricular surface.

• - Tumor accessible.

• - No other astrocytoma.

• - No multifocal or recurrent malignant glioma.

• - No disease below the tentorium or beyond the cranial vault.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age:

• - Adult.

Performance status:

• - Zubrod 0-1.

Life expectancy:

• - At least 8 weeks.

Hematopoietic:

• - Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL (transfusion allowed) - Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3.

• - Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3.

Hepatic:

• - Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL.

• - Serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or Serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) no greater than 2 times normal.

Renal:

• - Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) no greater than 25 mg/dL.

• - Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL.

Other:

• - Not pregnant or nursing.

• - Fertile patients must use effective contraception.

• - No hypersensitive or idiosyncratic reaction to bleomycin.

• - No other prior malignancies within the past 2 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or urinary bladder.

• - No other major medical illness or psychiatric impairment that would preclude study participation.

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy:

• - Not specified.

Chemotherapy:

• - No prior chemotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme.

• - No prior radiosensitizer for glioblastoma multiforme.

Endocrine therapy:

• - Not specified.

Radiotherapy:

• - No prior radiotherapy to the head or neck resulting in overlapping radiotherapy fields.

Surgery:

• - See Disease Characteristics.

- Recovered from prior surgery

OBJECTIVES:

• - Determine the median survival time of patients with newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme treated with radiotherapy followed by sustained release intratumoral bleomycin.

• - Determine the feasibility of this regimen in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Within 4 weeks after surgical resection, patients receive radiotherapy daily 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Within 2-6 weeks after completion of radiotherapy or at disease progression during radiotherapy, patients undergo surgical implantation of a modified Ommaya reservoir within the central area of the tumor. Patients then receive sustained release bleomycin intratumorally via the reservoir once a week for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 72 patients will be accrued for this study within 5 months.

Arms

Experimental: Radiation therapy followed by bleomycin via Ommaya reservoir

60.0 Gy/30 fractions x 2.0 Gy. Then within 2-6 weeks after completion of radiation therapy or at the time a patient experiences disease progression during or immediately after completion of radiation therapy, if clinically feasible, a modified Ommaya reservoir is implanted with the delivery catheter in the tumor or tumor cyst/cavity. Bleomycin, 15 units per week, is then given via the Ommaya reservoir without interruption for a maximum of two years as long as there is no toxicity above grade 3 or evidence of disease progression.

Interventions

Biological: - bleomycin

Device: - Ommaya reservoir

Radiation: - radiation therapy

60.0 Gy/30 fractions x 2.0 Gy. For the first 46 Gy/23 fractions the treatment volume should include the volume of contrast-enhancing lesion and surrounding edema on pre-operative CT/MRI scan plus a 2 centimeter margin. If no edema is present, the margin should be 2.5 cm. After 46.0 Gy, the tumor volume should include the contrast-enhancing lesion (without edema) on the pre-surgery MRI/CT scan plus a 2.5 centimeter margin.