Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Greenfield, MD, PhD
Central nervous system (CNS) malignancies are the second most common malignancy and the most common solid tumor of childhood, including adolescence. Annually in the United States, approximately 2,200 children are diagnosed with CNS malignancy, and rates appear to be increasing. CNS tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in children. Survival duration after diagnosis in children is highly variable depending in part on age at diagnosis, location of tumor, and extent of resection; however, most children with high-grade glioma die within 3 years of diagnosis. All patients with high-grade glioma experience a recurrence after first-line therapy, so improvements in both first-line and salvage therapy are critical to enhancing quality of life and prolonging survival.
It is unknown if currently used intravenous (IV) therapies even cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). We have shown in previous phase I trials that a single Superselective Intra-arterial Cerebral Infusion (SIACI) of Cetuximab and/or Bevacizumab is safe for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in adults, and we are currently evaluating the efficacy of this treatment. Therefore, this phase I/II clinical research trial is an extension of that trial in that we seek to test the hypothesis that intra-arterial Cetuximab and Bevacizumab is safe and effective in the treatment of relapsed/refractory glioma in patients younger than 22 years of age.
We expect that this project will provide important information regarding the utility of SIACI Cetuximab and Bevacizumab therapy for malignant glioma in patients younger than 22 years of age and may alter the way these drugs are delivered to our patients in the near future.
Contact Dr. Greenfield: 212-746-2363
More about the Children’s Brain Tumor Project
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