Effect of radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide on malignant glioma

Objective To study the effect of temozolomide combined with radiotherapy（RT-TMZ）on malignant glioma after operation and its toxic side effects. Methods Sixty-one patients with malignant glioma admitted to our hospital in November 2008-May 2009 were divided into RT-TMZ group（n=31）and RT group（n=30）.Patients in RT-TMZ group received radiotherapy with a total dosage of 60Gy and chemotherapy with oral temozolomide（TMZ）,75mg/（m²·d）for 42 days,followed by 4-6 cycles of adjuvant TMZ,150-200mg/（m²·d）.Patients in RT group received only radiotherapy with a total dosage of 60Gy for 42 days. Results The response rate was 79.3%（23/29）and 53.3%（16/30）respectively in RT-TMZ group and RT group.The disease control rate was 89.7%（26/29）and 83.3%（25/30）respectively in the two groups.The 6-month survival rate was 71.0%（22/31）in RT-TMZ group with no disease progress.The patients had a rather good tolerance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.The main side effects included nausea,vomiting,and anorexia.The number of white blood cells and platelets was decreased. Conclusion Radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide has a rather good short-term efficacy on malignant glioma with less side effects and is a practical treatment modality for malignant glioma.