OBJECTIVES:
Primary
- Determine the marginal-failure rate in young patients with low-grade gliomas treated with reduced-field conformal radiotherapy.
Secondary
- Determine the progression-free survival, event-free survival, and overall survival rates of young patients treated with this regimen.
- Determine quality of life of patients treated with this regimen.
- Correlate MIB-1 labeling index with progression-free survival and overall survival of these patients.
OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.
Patients undergo reduced-field conformal radiotherapy 5 days a week for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Quality of life is assessed at baseline or 6 weeks after completion of study treatment and then at 2 and 5 years (closed as of 10/27/2010).
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
- Histologically confirmed* low-grade glioma, including any of the following:
- Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA) or pleomorphic JPA
- Diffuse astrocytoma, including any of the following subtypes:
- Fibrillary astrocytoma
- Gemistocytic astrocytoma
- Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma
- Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma
- Low-grade oligoastrocytoma
- Low-grade oligodendroglioma
- Low-grade glioma not otherwise specified NOTE: *Patients with chiasmatic lesions who have contiguous extension of tumor into other regions of the visual pathway by CT scan or MRI are eligible without histopathologic confirmation; repeat biopsy required for patients with recurrent tumors that enhance but whose initial tumor did not
- Measurable disease by radiography
- Meets any of the following criteria:
- Progressive nonresectable disease
- Any location in the brain
- Patients with a less than gross total resection are eligible provided they are symptomatic from their tumor OR the risk from neurologic impairment with progression is high enough to warrant immediate treatment
- Has undergone biopsy only
- Must have received ≥ 1 course of prior chemotherapy (for patients < 10 years of age)
- Prior chemotherapy optional (for patients ≥ 10 years of age)
- No type-1 neurofibromatosis
- No evidence of leptomeningeal dissemination
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
Age
- 3 to 20
Performance status
- ECOG 0-2 OR
- Karnofsky 50-100% (for patients > 16 years of age) OR
- Lansky 50-100% (for patients ≤ 16 years of age)
Life expectancy
- At least 1 year
Hematopoietic
- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3 (transfusion independent)
- Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (transfusions allowed)
Hepatic
- Not specified
Renal
- Not specified
Other
- Not pregnant
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception
- Not in status epilepticus, coma, or requiring assisted ventilation prior to study entry
- Patients with a seizure disorder are eligible provided they are on anticonvulsants AND disease is well controlled
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Biologic therapy
- Not specified
Chemotherapy
- See Disease Characteristics
- Recovered from prior chemotherapy
- No concurrent chemotherapy
Endocrine therapy
- Concurrent dexamethasone allowed provided patient has been on a stable dose for ≥ 2 weeks prior to study entry
- Concurrent dexamethasone allowed for symptoms of increased intracranial pressure
Radiotherapy
- No prior radiotherapy
Surgery
- See Disease Characteristics
Other
- No other concurrent anticancer therapy
Last updated: 08/03/2012