Victor A. Levin, MD

In most cases, PCV chemotherapy will provide an edge in outcomes over TMZ for glioma patients, primarily because of the former regimen’s use of multiple drugs and their complementary interactions.

A turning point in therapy followed the observation that patients with AO tumors with chromosome 1p and 19q codeletion had better outcomes when treated with irradiation and PCV than did non-codeleted anaplastic oligodendroglioma patients.

While the majority of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors occur in patients over the age of 45 years, they are also the most prevalent solid neoplasms of childhood. About 16% of patients with brain tumors have a family history of cancer, and evidence points to chromosomal and genetic abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to computed tomography (CT) in localizing tumors and in evaluating edema, hydrocephalus, and hemorrhage.