The long-term goal of our group, the National Central Nervous System Tumor consortium (NCNSC), is to eradicate or, at the very least, control primary brain tumors. The NCNSC is made up of five clinical centers: 1) The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), 2) The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women Hospital, 3) University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), 4) Georgetown University/Lombardi Cancer Center, and 5) University of Iowa. The Central Operation Office/Coordinating Center will be located at MDACC. Together, with the collective commitment of resources and experience of the five clinical centers and the principal investigators, we believe we have formed an extremely strong clinical consortium to conduct phase I and II trials of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and biological therapy for primary malignant CNS tumors. Based on the research interest of the consortium members, the specific aims of the NCNSC is: 1. To study the efficacy of newly developed biological, differentiating, and antiangiogenesis agents such as interferons, retinoids, and TNP 470 as single agent and in combination with cytotoxic agents. 2. To study the efficacy of new cytotoxic agents, such as temozolamide and polyamine inhibitors. 3. To explore the effect of cytokines/growth factors and their receptors antibodies in modulating the growth potential and chemosensitivity profile of CNS tumors. 4. To explore the potential benefit of molecular strategies such as viral vectors, antisense oligonucleotides and cDNA constructs in treatment of primary brain tumors. 5. To explore the potential benefit of blood-brain carrier modification in drug delivery and efficacy.
| Hess, K R; Wong, E T; Jaeckle, K A et al. (1999) Response and progression in recurrent malignant glioma. Neuro Oncol 1:282-8 |
| Wong, E T; Hess, K R; Gleason, M J et al. (1999) Outcomes and prognostic factors in recurrent glioma patients enrolled onto phase II clinical trials. J Clin Oncol 17:2572-8 |
