The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of procarbazine and CCNU chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with O<sup>6</sup>-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation.
Consequently, CCNU might be preferentially considered as a treatment option for recurrent MGMT-methylated GBM and may even be suitable for prevention of resistance evolution in primary treatment.
We retrospectively identified and analyzed the characteristics of patients with glioblastoma rechallenged with a bevacizumab-based chemotherapy regimen after having received bevacizumab as first-line treatment in association with temozolomide radiochemotherapy or at recurrence in association with temozolomide, CCNU or irinotecan.Twenty-five patients were identified.
Further independent validation of our microRNA profile in RNA-seq data from patients treated with bevacizumab (alone or in combination with CCNU) at glioblastoma recurrence in the BELOB trial confirmed that our microRNA profile predicted patient benefit from bevacizumab (HR = 0.59, p = 0.043).
The results from the randomized phase II BELOB trial provided evidence for a potential benefit of bevacizumab (beva), a humanized monoclonal antibody against circulating VEGF-A, when added to CCNU chemotherapy in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM).