Neoadjuvant procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine for anaplastic and aggressive oligodendroglioma.

ABSTRACT

The authors reviewed the results of neoadjuvant (preradiation) procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine chemotherapy for anaplastic oligodendrogliomas because, increasingly, chemotherapy is prescribed before radiation for oligodendroglial neoplasms. The data indicate that 70% of patients respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, whereas 30% require early radiation because they either have chemoresistant tumors or experience unacceptable chemotoxicity.