Faculty Collaboration Database

Phase II Radiation Therapy Oncology Group trial of conventional radiation therapy followed by treatment with recombinant interferon-beta for supratentorial glioblastoma: results of RTOG 9710. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2006 Nov 01;66(3):818-24

Date

08/05/2006

Pubmed ID

16887285

DOI

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.05.021

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-33748936494 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   48 Citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether recombinant human interferon beta-1a (rhIFN-beta), when given after radiation therapy, improves survival in glioblastoma.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: After surgery, 109 patients with newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma were enrolled and treated with radiation therapy (60 Gy). A total of 55 patients remained stable after radiation and were treated with rhIFN-beta (6 MU/day i.m., 3 times/week). Outcomes were compared with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group glioma historical database.

RESULTS: RhIFN-beta was well tolerated, with 1 Grade 4 toxicity and 8 other patients experiencing Grade 3 toxicity. Median survival time (MST) of the 55 rhIFN-beta-treated patients was 13.4 months. MST for the 34 rhIFN-beta-treated in RPA Classes III and IV was 16.9 vs. 12.4 months for historical controls (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.89-1.81). There was also a trend toward improved survival across all RPA Classes comparing the 55 rhIFN-beta treated patients and 1,658 historical controls (HR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.94-1.63). The high rate of early failures (54/109) after radiation and before initiation of rhIFN-beta was likely caused by stricter interpretation of early radiographic changes in the current study. Matched-pair and intent-to-treat analyses performed to try to address this bias showed no difference in survival between study patients and controls.

CONCLUSION: RhIFN-beta given after conventional radiation therapy was well tolerated, with a trend toward survival benefit in patients who remained stable after radiation therapy. These data suggest that rhIFN-beta warrants further evaluation in additional studies, possibly in combination with current temozolomide-based regimens.

Author List

Colman H, Berkey BA, Maor MH, Groves MD, Schultz CJ, Vermeulen S, Nelson DF, Mehta MP, Yung WK, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

Author

Christopher J. Schultz MD Chair, Professor in the Radiation Oncology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Antineoplastic Agents
Brain Neoplasms
Combined Modality Therapy
Confidence Intervals
Female
Glioblastoma
Humans
Interferon Type I
Male
Middle Aged
Proportional Hazards Models
Recombinant Proteins
Regression Analysis
Supratentorial Neoplasms