Forty-six evaluable pediatric patients with primary recurrent brain tumors resistant to standard therapy were treated with cisplatin, 60 mg/m*/day, X2 days every 3 to 4 weeks, to study the efficacy and toxicity of this drug. Complete and partial responses, documented by computed tomography (CT) scan, were demonstrated in 4 of 10 patients with medulloblastoma and 3 of 15 patients with ependymoma. No activity was documented in astrocytic tumors. Dose limiting major toxicities were renal and auditory. It is recommended that the new analogues of cisplatin with less toxicity be studied in these tumors. Cancer 561497-1501, 1985. ISPLATIN (Cisdiamminedichloroplatinum [II]; DDP)
C is a chelated heavy metal with proven antitumor activity in a wide variety of animal and human tumors.'-8 Because of the favorable responses of 1 1 of 22 recurrent and advanced brain tumors to DDP reported by Khan ef a/., the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) initiated a Phase I1 study of DDP for recurrent brain tumors.' This is a report of that trial.
Methods
All children and adolescents less than 21 years of age who had histologically proven, primary previously treated recurrent brain tumors were eligible for study if they had clinical, computed tomography (CT) scan, and/or histologic evidence of recurrence. They had to have a minimal life expectancy of 2 months and had recovered from the toxicity of all previous anti-cancer drugs except for corticosteroids. Patients with pre-existing renal disease were not eligible. Biopsy specimens were not required for pa-