MGMT promoter methylation status and prognosis of patients with primary or recurrent glioblastoma treated with carmustine wafers

Br J Neurosurg. 2013 Dec;27(6):772-8. doi: 10.3109/02688697.2013.791664. Epub 2013 May 11.

Abstract

The prognostic role of O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation in glioblastoma patients treated with carmustine (BCNU) wafer implantation is unclear. Here, we report on a retrospective study of 47 patients with either newly diagnosed (30 patients) or recurrent (17 patients) glioblastoma (WHO grade IV) treated with BCNU (bis-chloroethylnitrosourea) wafers. Thirteen of the newly diagnosed patients received local BCNU and irradiation only (first-line BCNU), while 17 patients additionally received concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) radiochemotherapy (first-line BCNU + TMZ). Of the 17 patients treated for recurrent glioblastoma (second-line BCNU), 16 had received radiotherapy with concomitant and adjuvant TMZ as an initial treatment. Median overall survival (OS) did not significantly differ between 19 patients with MGMT promoter methylated tumors when compared to 28 patients with unmethylated tumors (18.9 vs 15.0 months; p = 0.1054). In the first-line BCNU + TMZ group, MGMT promoter methylation was associated with longer OS (21.0 vs 11.1 months, p = 0.0127), while no significant survival differences were detected in the other two subgroups. Progression-free survival did not significantly differ between patients with and without MGMT promoter methylated tumors in the entire patient cohort or any of the three subgroups. The first-line BCNU + TMZ group showed no significant difference in OS when compared to the first-line BCNU group (18.9 vs 14.7 months), but tended to have more therapy-related adverse effects (53% vs 24%, p = 0.105). In summary, MGMT promoter methylation showed a non-significant trend toward longer survival in our patient cohort. The combination of TMZ radiochemotherapy with local delivery of BCNU did not provide a significant survival benefit compared to local BCNU alone, but was associated with a higher rate of adverse effects. Owing to the small number of patients investigated, however, these findings would need to be corroborated in larger patient cohorts.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase III

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Brain Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Brain Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Carmustine / administration & dosage
  • Carmustine / adverse effects
  • Carmustine / therapeutic use*
  • Chemoradiotherapy / methods
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • DNA Methylation
  • Dacarbazine / administration & dosage
  • Dacarbazine / analogs & derivatives
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Glioblastoma / drug therapy*
  • Glioblastoma / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Karnofsky Performance Status
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase / genetics*
  • Prognosis
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Analysis
  • Temozolomide

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating
  • Dacarbazine
  • O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase
  • Carmustine
  • Temozolomide