Therapeutic effect of combined temozolomide and radiotherapy or chemotherapy on high-grade glioma after operation

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect and safety of combined temozolomide（TMZ） and radiotherapy（RT） or combined nimustine and RT for high-grade glioma after operation. Methods Seventy-seven patients with high-grade glioma were enrolled in this study and divided into TMZ-RT group（n=39） and nimustine-RT group（n=38）.The patients underwent 4-6 courses of TMZ-RT and nimustine-RT,respectively,with a total irradiation dose of 60Gy,2Gy once a day,5 times a week. Results The effective and control rates were significantly higher in TMZ-RT group than in nimustine-RT group（82.1% and 92.3% vs 60.5% and 73.7%,P＜0.05）.The main side effects of TMZ-RT were nausea,vomiting,anorexia and transient leucopenia.The number of side effects was less and the severity of side effects was milder in TMZ-RT group than in nimustine-RT group. Conclusion TMZ-RT is more safe and effective for high-grade glioma than nimustine-RT.