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Patterns of radiological response to procarbazine and CCNU polychemotherapy in patients with oligodendroglioma

Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Neuro-Oncology AdvancesLast synced 8/16/2026Status: syncedPMID: 42603070 pmidDOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdag184

Abstract Purpose To characterize the radiological response to procarbazine and CCNU (chloroethyl-cyclohexyl-nitrosourea) (PC) polychemotherapy in patients with oligodendroglioma. s1 Methods In this retrospective single-center cohort study, patients with Central Nervous System World Health Organization (CNS WHO) grade 2 or 3 oligodendroglioma treated with PC between 2003 and 2019 were included. Tumor characteristics were assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and [F]Fluoroethyltyrosine positron emission tomography ([F]FET PET) before and after completion of PC. The T1/T2 ratio was assessed to characterize diffuse versus sharply delineated MRI phenotype. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. s2 Results Forty-six patients with a median follow-up of 118 months were identified. Median absolute T2 tumor volume was 52 cm³ (range 10-285) prior to PC and 29 cm³ (range 3-286) after. Median tumor volume decrease was −30% (range −96% to +113%). In treatment-naïve patients, median tumor volume decrease was −41% (range −92% to +14%) versus −7% (range −96% to +113%) in pretreated patients (< .01). Stratification according to CNS WHO grade (= .89) or contrast enhancement (= .07) did not yield significant differences. The T1/T2 ratio was lower after PC (0.69 vs 0.50,= .04), and higher T1/T2 ratios were associated with shorter PFS (= .04) in multivariate analysis. On [F]FET PET, there was a trend towards lower maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBRmax) afte

Abstract

Abstract Purpose To characterize the radiological response to procarbazine and CCNU (chloroethyl-cyclohexyl-nitrosourea) (PC) polychemotherapy in patients with oligodendroglioma. s1 Methods In this retrospective single-center cohort study, patients with Central Nervous System World Health Organization (CNS WHO) grade 2 or 3 oligodendroglioma treated with PC between 2003 and 2019 were included. Tumor characteristics were assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and [F]Fluoroethyltyrosine positron emission tomography ([F]FET PET) before and after completion of PC. The T1/T2 ratio was assessed to characterize diffuse versus sharply delineated MRI phenotype. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. s2 Results Forty-six patients with a median follow-up of 118 months were identified. Median absolute T2 tumor volume was 52 cm³ (range 10-285) prior to PC and 29 cm³ (range 3-286) after. Median tumor volume decrease was −30% (range −96% to +113%). In treatment-naïve patients, median tumor volume decrease was −41% (range −92% to +14%) versus −7% (range −96% to +113%) in pretreated patients (< .01). Stratification according to CNS WHO grade (= .89) or contrast enhancement (= .07) did not yield significant differences. The T1/T2 ratio was lower after PC (0.69 vs 0.50,= .04), and higher T1/T2 ratios were associated with shorter PFS (= .04) in multivariate analysis. On [F]FET PET, there was a trend towards lower maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBRmax) after PC (= .07). s3 Conclusion PC polychemotherapy induces substantial tumor volume reductions in subsets of patients with oligodendroglioma, particularly in treatment-naïve patients. The observations that circumscript oligodendrogliomas may be associated with earlier progression and that PC treatment may induce a shift toward a more diffuse phenotype require prospective validation. s4

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