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The prognosis of patients with CNS involvement of solid tumors is poor. In these patients, systemic chemotherapy has a theoretical advantage of concurrent treatment of systemic disease and reduced risk of neurotoxicity. Here, we report on the efficacy and toxicity of topotecan/ifosfamide (TOPO/IFO) combination chemotherapy in patients treated for CNS involvement of different solid malignancies. Fourteen patients with CNS manifestations (seven with brain metastases, two meningeal carcinomatosis, and five both) of solid tumors (seven with breast cancer, six lung cancer, and one unknown primary cancer) received TOPO/IFO treatment. Eleven patients each were pretreated with 1-6 systemic therapy regimens and whole-brain irradiation. Patients received a total of 34 (median 2) TOPO/IFO cycles. TOPO dosage was 3.6 mg/m(2) (1.2 mg/m(2), days 1-3) and IFO dosage 3,000 mg/m(2) (1,500 mg/m(2), days 1-2) per cycle. Of 12 patients with brain metastases, one patient had partial remission, three stable disease, two progressed, and six had no radiologic CNS response evaluation. Response of meningeal carcinomatosis was found in two and progressive disease in two (three patients not evaluated). Neurologic improvement or stabilization was observed in six of twelve evaluable patients. No systemic tumor response was seen in seven evaluated patients. Grade 3/4 toxicities in eleven evaluable patients were leukopenia (n = 9), infection (n = 6), and thrombopenia (n = 5). Median time to treatment failure was 43 days and median overall survival 107 days. Symptom control was frequently achieved with TOPO/IFO systemic chemotherapy despite a low objective response rate. The feasibility of this treatment is impaired by severe hematotoxicity.
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