Randomized phase II trial comparing axitinib with the combination of axitinib and lomustine in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

Axitinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor with high affinity and specificity for the family of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors. It has previously demonstrated anti-tumor activity in a small cohort of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGB). We conducted a non-comparative randomized phase II clinical trial investigating axitinib monotherapy versus axitinib plus lomustine (LOM) in patients with rGB.

Is the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised a Useful Clinical Tool for Managing Pain in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness?

Objectives: Our objective was to assess the clinical usefulness of the Nociception Coma Scale-revised (NCS-R) in pain management of patients with disorders of consciousness.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-nine patients with potential painful conditions (eg, due to fractures, decubitus ulcers, or spasticity) were assessed during nursing cares before and after the administration of an analgesic treatment tailored to each patient's clinical status. In addition to the NCS-R, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was used before and during treatment to observe fluctuations in consciousness.

Quantification of cerebral tumour blood flow and permeability with T1-weighted dynamic contrast enhanced MRI: a feasibility study.

Objectives: Recently, T1-weighted DCE-MRI was proposed as an alternative to T2*-weighted DSC-MRI for the quantification of perfusion and permeability in brain tumors. The aim of the present feasibility study was to explore the clinical potential of the technique in different tumor types using a case-based review of initial results.

Patients And Methods: The method for data analysis was adapted from cerebral perfusion CT and applied in this study to a small group of patients with grade IV glioma and other brain tumors.

Phase II study of sunitinib malate in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.

Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling causes profound neo-angiogenesis in high-grade gliomas (HGG). The KIT, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR2 genes are frequently amplified and expressed in HGG and are molecular targets for therapeutic inhibition by the small-molecule kinase inhibitor sunitinib malate. Twenty-one patients with progressive HGG after prior radiotherapy and chemotherapy received a daily dose of 37.

The role of cytotoxic drugs in the treatment of central nervous system gliomas.

Gliomas are the mostfrequent subtype of primary brain tumors. They are lethal tumors, characterized by diffuse infiltration of the brain and a high resistance to conventional cancer therapies. Following maximal neurosurgical resection, bound to the limits of acceptable neurological sequelae, immediate post-operative radiotherapy is indicated in the majority of patients.