Phase II study of imatinib mesylate for recurrent meningiomas (North American Brain Tumor Consortium study 01-08)

Posted by rob on December 18, 2009 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and its receptors (PDGFR) are frequently coexpressed in meningiomas, potentially contributing to their pathogenesis. The North American Brain Tumor Consortium conducted a phase II study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec), a PDGFR inhibitor, in patients with recurrent meningiomas. Patients were stratified into benign (WHO grade I) meningiomas or atypical (WHO grade II) and malignant (WHO grade III) meningiomas. The primary end point was 6-month progression-free survival (6M-PFS). Patients requiring enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs were ineligible. Patients received imatinib at a dose of 600 mg/day for the first 4-week cycle and then gradually increased to 800 mg/day for subsequent cycles, if there were no unacceptabl…
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