A systematic review on the efficiency and safety of chemotherapies in the treatment of Astrocytoma

Abstract

Astrocytoma or low grade gliomas are most deadly primary brain tumor and leading cause for poor quality life in brain cancer patients. In addition, the traditional treatment for astrocytoma has been unchanged for decades, consisting only surgery followed by radiotherapy. Although the benefits of chemotherapy in the treatment of astrocytoma have been suggested yet their efficacy is still unknown. The standard Temozolomide based chemotherapies, are widely used with radiation or in combination with monoclonal antibody also PARP inhibitor, mTOR inhibitor, tyrosine kinase inhibitor and Quinone agent alone or in combination are used treating astrocytoma patients. In this systemic review , a search of PubMed, google scholar, www.clinical trials.gov, national cancer institute, mayo clinic was conducted in order to find the data. Progression free survival, overall survival, treatment on time, adverse events of drugs used for the treatment of astrocytoma were systemically identified. The study included total 9 trials (3 phase I, 5 phase II and 1 phase III trials) for a total of 742 patients who received chemotherapies alone or in combination. According to available data some drug combinations are routinely utilized in the treatment of astrocytoma, there is still a lack of relevant and sufficient information and data, temozolomide-based treatments are still controversial.