Publications

19 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 19

Abstract (Expand)

PURPOSE: The determinants of long-term survival in glioblastoma have remained largely obscure. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 or 2 mutations are common in World Health Organization (WHO) grades II and III gliomas, but rare in primary glioblastomas, and associated with longer survival. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We compared clinical and molecular characteristics of 69 patients with centrally confirmed glioblastoma and survival >36 months (LTS-36), including 33 patients surviving >60 months (LTS-60), with 257 patients surviving <36 months. MGMT promoter methylation, 1p/19q codeletions, EGFR amplification, TP53 mutations, and IDH1/2 mutations were determined by standard techniques. RESULTS: The rate of IDH1/2 mutations in LTS-36 patients was 34% (23 of 67 patients) as opposed to 4.3% in controls (11 of 257 patients). Long-term survivors with IDH1/2-mutant glioblastomas were younger, had almost no EGFR amplifications, but exhibited more often 1p/19q codeletions and TP53 mutations than LTS patients with IDH1/2 wild-type glioblastomas. Long-term survivors with IDH1/2 wild-type showed no distinguishing features from other patients with IDH1/2 wild-type glioblastomas except for a higher rate of MGMT promoter methylation. Similarly, among 11 patients with IDH1/2-mutant glioblastomas without long-term survival, the only difference to IDH1/2-mutant long-term survivors was less-frequent MGMT promoter methylation. Compared with LTS-36 patients, LTS-60 patients had less frequently TP53 mutations and radiotherapy alone as initial treatment. CONCLUSIONS: IDH1/2 mutations define a subgroup of tumors of LTS patients that exhibit molecular characteristics of WHO grade II/III gliomas and secondary glioblastomas. Determinants of LTS with IDH1/2 wild-type glioblastomas, which exhibit typical molecular features of primary glioblastomas, beyond MGMT promoter methylation, remain to be identified.

Authors: C. Hartmann, B. Hentschel, M. Simon, M. Westphal, G. Schackert, J. C. Tonn, M. Loeffler, G. Reifenberger, T. Pietsch, A. von Deimling, M. Weller

Date Published: 15th Sep 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: glioblastoma multiforme

Abstract (Expand)

O(6)-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation identifies a subpopulation of glioblastoma patients with more favorable prognosis and predicts a benefit from alkylating agent chemotherapy (CT). Little is known about its prevalence and clinical significance in older glioblastoma patients. We studied 233 glioblastoma patients aged 70 years or more (144 males, 89 females, median age: 74 years, range: 70.0-86.6 years), who were prospectively enrolled in the German Glioma Network, for MGMT promoter methylation by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in all patients and DNA pyrosequencing in 166 patients. MGMT data were correlated with patient outcome. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.8 months (95% CI: 4.3-5.3) and median overall survival (OS) was 7.7 months (95% CI: 6.3-9.0). MGMT promoter methylation was detected by MSP in 134 patients (57.5%). For the whole cohort, PFS was 5.2 versus 4.7 months (p = 0.207) and OS was 8.4 versus 6.4 months (p = 0.031) in patients with versus without MGMT promoter methylation. Patients with MGMT methylated tumors had longer PFS when treated with radiotherapy (RT) plus CT or CT alone compared to patients treated with RT alone. Patients with MGMT unmethylated tumors appeared to derive no survival benefit from CT, regardless of whether given at diagnosis together with RT or as a salvage treatment. Patients treated with RT plus CT or CT alone demonstrated longer OS when pyrosequencing revealed >25% MGMT methylated alleles. Taken together, MGMT promoter methylation may be a useful biomarker to stratify elderly glioblastoma patients for treatment with versus without alkylating agent CT.

Authors: G. Reifenberger, B. Hentschel, J. Felsberg, G. Schackert, M. Simon, O. Schnell, M. Westphal, W. Wick, T. Pietsch, M. Loeffler, M. Weller

Date Published: 15th Sep 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: glioblastoma multiforme

Abstract (Expand)

Epigenetic silencing of the O(6) -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter is associated with prolonged survival in glioblastoma patients treated with temozolomide (TMZ). We investigated whether glioblastoma recurrence is associated with changes in the promoter methylation status and the expression of MGMT and the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2 in pairs of primary and recurrent glioblastomas of 80 patients, including 64 patients treated with radiotherapy and TMZ after the first operation. Among the primary tumors, the MGMT promoter was methylated in 31 patients and unmethylated in 49 patients. In 71 patients (89%), the MGMT promoter methylation status of the primary tumor was retained at recurrence. MGMT promoter methylation, but not MGMT protein expression, was associated with longer progression-free survival, overall survival and postrecurrence survival (PRS). Moreover, PRS was increased under salvage chemotherapy. Investigation of primary and recurrent glioblastomas of 43 patients did not identify promoter methylation in any of the four MMR genes. However, recurrent glioblastomas demonstrated significantly lower MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2 protein expression as detected by immunohistochemistry. In conclusion, reduced expression of MMR proteins, but not changes in MGMT promoter methylation, is characteristic of glioblastomas recurring after the current standards of care.

Authors: J. Felsberg, N. Thon, S. Eigenbrod, B. Hentschel, M. C. Sabel, M. Westphal, G. Schackert, F. W. Kreth, T. Pietsch, M. Loffler, M. Weller, G. Reifenberger, J. C. Tonn

Date Published: 1st Aug 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: glioblastoma multiforme

Abstract (Expand)

WHO grading of human brain tumors extends beyond a strictly histological grading system by providing a basis predictive for the clinical behavior of the respective neoplasm. For example, patients with glioblastoma WHO grade IV usually show a less favorable clinical course and receive more aggressive first-line treatment than patients with anaplastic astrocytoma WHO grade III. Here we provide evidence that the IDH1 status is more prognostic for overall survival than standard histological criteria that differentiate high-grade astrocytomas. We sequenced the isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 gene (IDH1) at codon 132 in 382 patients with anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma from the NOA-04 trial and from a prospective translational cohort study of the German Glioma Network. Patients with anaplastic astrocytomas carried IDH1 mutations in 60%, and patients with glioblastomas in 7.2%. IDH1 was the most prominent single prognostic factor (RR 2.7; 95% CI 1.6-4.5) followed by age, diagnosis and MGMT. The sequence from more favorable to poorer outcome was (1) anaplastic astrocytoma with IDH1 mutation, (2) glioblastoma with IDH1 mutation, (3) anaplastic astrocytoma without IDH1 mutation and (4) glioblastoma without IDH1 mutation (p < 0.0001). In this combined set of anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas both, IDH1 mutation and IDH1 expression status were of greater prognostic relevance than histological diagnosis according to the current WHO classification system. Our data indicate that much of the prognostic significance of patient age is due to the predominant occurrence of IDH1 mutations in younger patients. Immunohistochemistry using a mutation-specific antibody recognizing the R132H mutation yielded similar results. We propose to complement the current WHO classification and grading of high-grade astrocytic gliomas by the IDH1 mutation status and to use this combined histological and molecular classification in future clinical trials.

Authors: C. Hartmann, B. Hentschel, W. Wick, D. Capper, J. Felsberg, M. Simon, M. Westphal, G. Schackert, R. Meyermann, T. Pietsch, G. Reifenberger, M. Weller, M. Loeffler, A. von Deimling

Date Published: 20th Nov 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: brain glioma, glioblastoma multiforme

Abstract (Expand)

PURPOSE: The prognostic value of genetic alterations characteristic of glioblastoma in patients treated according to present standards of care is unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred one patients with glioblastoma were prospectively recruited between October 2004 and December 2006 at the clinical centers of the German Glioma Network. Two hundred fifty-eight patients had radiotherapy, 199 patients had temozolomide, 189 had both, and seven had another chemotherapy as the initial treatment. The tumors were investigated for TP53 mutation, p53 immunoreactivity, epidermal growth factor receptor, cyclin-dependent kinase CDK 4 or murine double minute 2 amplification, CDKN2A homozygous deletion, allelic losses on chromosome arms 1p, 9p, 10q, and 19q, O(6)-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation, and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutations. RESULTS: Median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6.8 and 12.5 months. Multivariate analysis revealed younger age, higher performance score, MGMT promoter methylation, and temozolomide radiochemotherapy as independent factors associated with longer OS. MGMT promoter methylation was associated with longer PFS (relative risk [RR], 0.5; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.68; P < .001) and OS (RR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.54; P < .001) in patients receiving temozolomide. IDH1 mutations were associated with prolonged PFS (RR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.91; P = .028) and a trend for prolonged OS (RR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.15 to 1.19; P = .10). No other molecular factor was associated with outcome. CONCLUSION: Molecular changes associated with gliomagenesis do not predict response to therapy in glioblastoma patients managed according to current standards of care. MGMT promoter methylation and IDH1 mutational status allow for stratification into prognostically distinct subgroups.

Authors: M. Weller, J. Felsberg, C. Hartmann, H. Berger, J. P. Steinbach, J. Schramm, M. Westphal, G. Schackert, M. Simon, J. C. Tonn, O. Heese, D. Krex, G. Nikkhah, T. Pietsch, O. Wiestler, G. Reifenberger, A. von Deimling, M. Loeffler

Date Published: 1st Dec 2009

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: brain glioma, glioblastoma multiforme

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