Surgery for Recurrent Glioblastoma

Summary

Patients with glioblastoma face a grim prognosis. Despite recent advancement in neurosurgical technology and neuro-oncology glioblastomas almost invariably progress or recur after a median of 4-8 months. The strategy to repeat tumor resection at recurrence in order to minimize tumor load and thus to facilitate subsequent second-line therapy has been shown to be feasible and safe.

However, evidence for a survival benefit of surgery for recurrent glioblastoma is scarce and relies entirely on retrospective analyses. While most retrospective analyses report an apparent survival benefit, an EORTC meta-analysis on second-line therapies found no survival difference in patients with or without surgery at recurrence. With regard to the risks and costs inherent to surgery for glioblastoma, a randomized controlled trial is required.

The purpose of the study is to compare the effect of craniotomy and tumor resection followed by adjuvant second-line therapy to no surgery followed by second-line therapy on overall survival, neurological status, and quality of life. Analysis of overall survival will be used to improve sample size estimation of a subsequent phase III trial for craniotomy and tumor resection of glioblastoma recurrence in cooperation with the EORTC.

Conditions

• Glioblastoma

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Surgery followed by adjuvant second-line therapy

Surgery: Surgery must take place between day 1 and 14 after study inclusion and within 21 days from the MRI on which recurrence was diagnosed. The modalities of surgery and the choice of pre- and intra-operative technical adjuncts is at the treating neurosurgery discretion. Surgery must take place between day 1 and 14 after study inclusion and within 21 days from the MRI on which recurrence was diagnosed. The modalities of surgery and the choice of pre- and intra-operative technical adjuncts is at the treating neurosurgery discretion. However, some form of intra-operative resection control (iMRI or intra-operative fluorescence) and function control (electrophysiology) should be available to the surgeon and used when warranted. Adjuvant second-line therapy: Patients will be seen after surgery by the treating neurooncologist. Modalities of adjuvant second-line therapy are individually defined according to local guidelines and are not stipulated by study protocol.

PROCEDURE

Second-line therapy alone

Patients randomized to the non-surgical cohort receive second-line therapy according to local guidelines. Modalities thereof are not stipulated by study protocol.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer - EORTC

  collaborator NETWORK

• Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Philippe Schucht, Prof. Dr. med. · Dep. of Neurosurgery, Inselspital Bern

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-05-01

Primary Completion

2028-12-31

Completion

2028-12-31

Countries

• Austria
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Study Locations