Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Brain Cancer
Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Brain Cancer
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells and may be an
 effective treatment for patients with anaplastic astrocytomas.

 PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in
 treating patients with anaplastic astrocytomas.
OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the disease-free interval and survival in patients with supratentorial
 malignant brain gliomas randomized to radiotherapy alone vs. radiotherapy plus
 radiosensitization with mitolactol (DBD) followed by DBD and carmustine.

 OUTLINE: Randomized study. Group I: Radiotherapy. External-beam cranial irradiation with
 megavoltage equipment. Group II: Radiotherapy with Radiosensitization followed by Maintenance
 Chemotherapy. Radiotherapy as in Group I; with Mitolactol, DBD, NSC-104800; followed by DBD;
 Carmustine, BCNU, NSC-409962.

 PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 212 patients will be entered over more than 3 years.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed anaplastic astrocytoma Standard maximum
 resection or stereotactic biopsy required within 4 weeks prior to therapy

 PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Over 16 Performance status: ECOG/ZUBROD/WHO 0-2 Life
 expectancy: At least 8 weeks Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 4,000 Platelets greater than
 100,000 Hematocrit greater than 30% Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2 mg/dl Renal: Creatinine
 less than 1.5 mg/dl Creatinine clearance greater than 70 ml/min BUN less than 40 mg/dl
 Other: No major medical illness

 PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: No anticancer drugs between surgery and protocol treatment No
 steroids after 10 days following surgery (may be resumed occasionally during radiotherapy)