Katherine Peters

The standard regimen for the treatment of newly diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) remains regimens that contain high-dose methotrexate (MTX). While these regimens can provide control for some patients, there is a dearth of options for the treatment of patients with PCNSL who cannot tolerate MTX-containing regimens, or whose cancers are refractory to MTX. In this article, we review a promising new option; ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for patients with relapsed and refractory PCNSL.

2046 Background: Significant therapeutic benefit has been observed among recurrent malignant glioma (MG) patients treated with bevacizumab (BV), a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with or without chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of BV plus etoposide (E), a topoisomerase inhibitor, among recurrent MG patients. METHODS: Recurrent patients with no more than three prior episodes of recurrence are eligible, while those with prior BV treatment or prior intracranial hemorrhage are excluded. The primary outcome measure is 6 month progression-free survival (6-PFS). BV is dosed at 10 mg/kg intravenously every other week. Etoposide is orally administered daily (50 mg/m2) for days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients (GBM, n = 27; grade 3 MG, n = 32) with a median of 2 prior progressions have enrolled. With a median follow-up of 45 weeks, median overall survival (OS) for GBM and grade 3 MG patients were 46 and 47 weeks, while the 6-PFS is 44% and 40.6%, respectively. The most common toxicities were neutropenia (41%), fatigue (22%), and infection (20%) and were grade 2 in most cases. One patient developed grade 1 intracranial hemorrhage and 1 patient had a grade 4 GI perforation. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of bevacizumab and etoposide is well tolerated in recurrent MG patients and is associated with encouraging anti-tumor benefit. Accrual is complete and an update of further treatment and follow-up will be presented. No significant financial relationships to disclose.