Bevacizumab versus alkylating chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma.
Seystahl KDepartment of Neurology and Brain Tumor Center, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. katharina.seystahl@usz.ch.
Hentschel BInstitute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Loew SDepartment of Neurology and Neurooncology Program, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Gramatzki DDepartment of Neurology and Brain Tumor Center, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
Felsberg JDepartment of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Herrlinger UDepartment of Neurology, Division of Clinical Neuro-oncology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.
Westphal MDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Schackert GDepartment of Neurosurgery, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Thon NDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Munich LMU, Munich, Germany.
Tatagiba MDepartment of Neurosurgery, Eberhard-Karls-University, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Pietsch TDepartment of Neuropathology, Brain Tumor Reference Center of the German Society of Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Reifenberger GDepartment of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Löffler MInstitute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Wick WDepartment of Neurology and Neurooncology Program, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Weller MDepartment of Neurology and Brain Tumor Center, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
English
BACKGROUND The use of alkylating chemotherapy versus bevacizumab for recurrent glioblastoma remains controversial. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the activity of alkylators, but not that of bevacizumab, would be associated with the O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status.
METHODS We analyzed a cohort of patients treated at centers of the German Glioma Network or the University Hospital Zurich with alkylating agent-based chemotherapy (n = 260) or bevacizumab without or with irinotecan (n = 84) for first recurrence of glioblastoma. Outcome was stratified for O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) status and crossover to bevacizumab or alkylators at further progression.
RESULTS Median post-recurrence survival-1 (PRS-1) for patients receiving alkylating agents at first recurrence was longer than with bevacizumab (11.1 versus 7.4 months, p < 0.001). The use of alkylators was associated with longer PRS-1 for patients with a methylated versus unmethylated MGMT promoter (p = 0.017). For patients receiving bevacizumab, PRS-1 was not different with or without MGMT promoter methylation. PRS-1 was longer in patients receiving alkylating chemotherapy compared to bevacizumab for patients with methylated (p < 0.001) or unmethylated MGMT promoter (p = 0.034). For patients with alkylators at first recurrence receiving bevacizumab at any further recurrence, PRS-1 was longer than in patients receiving bevacizumab first and alkylators thereafter (p = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS This study confirms limited value of bevacizumab in recurrent glioblastoma independent of MGMT status. Alkylating agents have activity in recurrent glioblastoma, especially in the context of MGMT promoter methylation.