CCNU was used in the treatment of 18 patients with childhood
tumors of the CNS. Severe bone-marrow toxicity was noted. The initial dose was 130 mg/m2 given every 6 weeks, but it was often necessary to reduce the dose and prolong the interval between doses. The toxicity appeared to be much the same whether previous
radiotherapy had been given to the whole CNS or to the brain only. In assessable patients with pur
medulloblastoma, three out of three showed marked responses to
CCNU. In those with a mixture of
medulloblastoma and other
tumor components, two out of two showed responses to
CCNU. In children with astrocytomata of various types, only two out of six showed responses to
CCNU, and in these the degree of response was slight. The results suggest that
CCNU is a useful treatment for
medulloblastoma but its value in the treatment of childhood
astrocytoma is uncertain. In 6 patients who received both
radiotherapy and
CCNU, the contribution of the
CCNU was not assessable.