IFN-α for recurrent surgery- and radiation-refractory high-grade meningioma: a retrospective case series

AIM

Limited literature is available regarding the treatment of recurrent surgery- and radiation-refractory meningioma, and it primarily examines the treatment of low-grade (WHO grade 1) meningioma. Data regarding systemic therapy for recurrent high-grade meningioma are sparse. A retrospective case series of patients with recurrent WHO grade 2/3 meningioma treated with IFN-α following progression after surgery, radiotherapy and hydroxyurea was carried out, with the primary study objective of overall response rate, and median and 6-month progression-free survival (PFS).

PATIENTS & METHODS

35 patients (28 women and 17 men; median age 63 years; range: 36-86 years) with recurrent high-grade meningioma (WHO grade 2 [n = 22] or 3 [n = 13]) were treated with IFN-α (10 million units/m(2)) subcutaneously every 2 days; one cycle was operationally defined as 4 weeks of IFN-α. Patients had progressed radiographically after prior therapy with surgery (35 out of 35), radiotherapy (35 out of 35; external-beam radiotherapy: 35 out of 35; and stereotactic radiotherapy: 34 out of 35) and hydroxyurea chemotherapy (35 out of 35). One patient was also treated with a somatostatin analog before initiating IFN-α treatment.

RESULTS

Patients received one to 13 cycles (median: three) of IFN-α with moderate toxicity (100% of patients manifested grades 1-3 toxicity, of which only 20% were grade 3). There were no radiographic responses, 63% of patients had stable disease and 37% manifested progressive disease at first evaluation. PFS was 17% at 6 months (95% CI: 0.07-0.31; median PFS: 12 weeks; 95% CI: 8-20 weeks; range: 4-52 weeks). Following progression on IFN-α, the majority of patients (60%) were subsequently treated on an alternative therapy.

CONCLUSION

In this large retrospective series, IFN-α was moderately toxic, but appeared to have limited activity in patients with recurrent high-grade meningiomas.

Medical management of meningiomas

The efficacy of surgery and radiation has been well validated in the treatment of meningiomas, with efficacy depending on tumor pathology, size, symptomatology and rate of progression. The role of medical therapy has the least amount of data but is being increasingly investigated for tumors that are inoperable or those tumors that recur and/or progress despite standard therapy. In this review, current data on the use of chemotherapeutic agents in the management of meningiomas will be reviewed, including cytotoxic, biologic, targeted molecular and hormonal agents.

Recent developments in chemotherapy for meningiomas: a review

Object

Currently, few medical options exist for refractory and atypical/anaplastic meningiomas. New developments in chemotherapeutic options for meningiomas have been explored over the past decade. The authors review these recent developments, with an emphasis on emerging avenues for therapy, clinical efficacy, and adverse effects.

Methods

A review of the literature was performed to identify any studies exploring recent medical and chemotherapeutic agents that have been or are currently being tested for meningiomas. Results from included preclinical and human clinical trials were reviewed and summarized.

Results

Current guidelines recommend only 3 drugs that can be used to treat patients with refractory and highgrade meningiomas: hydroxyurea, interferon-α 2B, and Sandostatin long-acting release. Recent developments in the medical treatment of meningiomas have been made across a variety of pharmacological classes, including cytotoxic agents, hormonal agents, immunomodulators, and targeted agents toward a variety of growth factors and their signaling cascades. Promising avenues of therapy that are being evaluated for efficacy and safety include antagonists of platelet-derived growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, and mammalian target of rapamycin. Because malignant transformation in meningiomas is likely to be mediated by numerous processes interacting via a complex matrix of signals, combination therapies affecting multiple molecular targets are currently being explored and hold significant promise as adjuvant therapy options.

Conclusions

Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving meningioma tumorigenesis and malignant transformation has resulted in the targeted development of more specific agents for chemotherapeutic intervention in patients with nonresectable, aggressive, and malignant meningiomas.

Chemotherapy: What is its role in meningioma?

While strong evidence exists for the standard therapy for meningiomas, inclusive of surgery and/or radiation therapy, for those tumors which recur, progress or are inoperable, the optimal medical therapies are yet to be elucidated. This article reviews the current literature for chemotherapeutic options for this subset of tumors, including cytotoxic agents, biologic agents, targeted molecular agents and hormonal agents. At this point in time, the most data is with hydroxyurea and somatostatin, although further trials with combination and targeted molecular therapies are still underway.

Neuro-oncology: a selected review of ASCO 2011 abstracts

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the largest clinical oncology meeting in the USA, meets annually and consistently provides an exciting forum to present new cancer clinical trials and research data. The ASCO 2011 neuro-oncology session, comprising of 3 days of presentations and over 100 abstracts, provided an overview of neuro-oncology, including both metastatic diseases of the CNS and primary brain tumors. This brief article attempts to highlight select abstracts presented at this years meeting in an organizational manner that will hopefully provide a portrait of the large and multifaceted meeting.