Review
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World J Clin Oncol. Feb 10, 2014; 5(1): 19-27
Published online Feb 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i1.19
Temozolomide for treatment of brain metastases: A review of 21 clinical trials
Wei Zhu, Li Zhou, Jia-Qi Qian, Tian-Zhu Qiu, Yong-Qian Shu, Ping Liu
Wei Zhu, Li Zhou, Jia-Qi Qian, Tian-Zhu Qiu, Yong-Qian Shu, Ping Liu, Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Zhu W and Zhou L contributed equally to this work; Zhu W and Liu P designed the research; Zhu W, Zhou L, Qian JQ, Qiu TZ, Shu YQ and Liu P performed the research; Zhu W and Zhou L contributed new reagents/analytic tools, analyzed the data and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Ping Liu, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. belliwether@163.com
Telephone: +86-25-83718836 Fax: +86-25-83780826
Received: September 7, 2013
Revised: November 2, 2013
Accepted: November 15, 2013
Published online: February 10, 2014
Processing time: 156 Days and 1.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Temozolomide has been used in glioblastoma multiforme as well as melanoma. Recently, studies showed that it might be also effective in patients with brain metastases from various malignancies. In this study, we carried out a review of 21 published clinical trials to determine whether temozolomide would benefit patients with brain metastases from solid tumours. As a result, a modest therapeutic effect was observed when temozolomide was used as a single agent, however, the combination of temozolomide with whole-brain radiotherapy and/or other anticancer drugs exhibited encouraging activity. This study for the first time provided a systematic evaluation of temozolomide in the treatment of brain metastases.