Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38912869›Full record

ArticleNeuro-oncology2024

No benefit from TMZ treatment in glioblastoma with truly unmethylated MGMT promoter: Reanalysis of the CE.6 and the pooled Nordic/NOA-08 trials in elderly glioblastoma patients.

Monika E Hegi, Felix B Oppong, James R Perry, Wolfgang Wick, Roger Henriksson, Norman J Laperriere, Thierry Gorlia, Annika Malmström, Michael Weller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuro-oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed.

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  7. Role of non-coding RNAs in OOncology letters · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Monika E HegiNeurosurgery & Neuroscience Research Center, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0855-6495
Felix B OppongEuropean Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
James R PerryOdette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Wolfgang WickDKTK and Clinical Cooperation Unit Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6171-634X
Roger HenrikssonDepartment of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Norman J LaperriereRadiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Thierry GorliaEuropean Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
Annika MalmströmDepartment of Advanced Home Care in Linköping, and Division of Cellbiology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Michael WellerDepartment of Neurology & Brain Tumor Center, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-1748-174X

Funding

Canadian Cancer Society Research InstituteEORTC Cancer Research Fund from Belgium
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe treatment of elderly/ frail patients with glioblastoma is a balance between avoiding undue toxicity, while not withholding effective treatment. It remains debated, whether these patients should receive combined chemo-radiotherapy with temozolomide (RT/TMZ→TMZ) regardless of the O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase gene promoter (MGMTp) methylation status. MGMT is a well-known resistance factor blunting the treatment effect of TMZ, by repairing the most genotoxic lesion. Epigenetic silencing of the MGMTp sensitizes glioblastoma to TMZ. For risk-adapted treatment, it is of utmost importance to accurately identify patients, who will not benefit from TMZ treatment.

methodsHere, we present a reanalysis of the clinical trials CE.6 and the pooled NOA-08 and Nordic trials in elderly glioblastoma patients that compared RT to RT/TMZ→TMZ, or RT to TMZ, respectively. For 687 patients with available MGMTp methylation data, we applied a cutoff discerning truly unmethylated glioblastoma, established in a pooled analysis of 4 clinical trials for glioblastoma, with RT/TMZ→TMZ treatment, using the same quantitative methylation-specific MGMTp PCR assay.

resultsWhen applying this restricted cutoff to the elderly patient population, we confirmed that glioblastoma with truly unmethylated MGMTp derived no benefit from TMZ treatment. In the Nordic/NOA-08 trials, RT was better than TMZ, suggesting little or no benefit from TMZ.

conclusionsFor evidence-based treatment of glioblastoma patients validated MGMTp methylation assays should be used that accurately identify truly unmethylated patients. Respective stratified management of patients will reduce toxicity without compromising outcomes and allow testing of more promising treatment options.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Agents, AlkylatingBrain NeoplasmsDNA MethylationDNA Modification MethylasesDNA Repair EnzymesGlioblastomaPromoter Regions, GeneticTemozolomideTumor Suppressor ProteinsAgedAged, 80 and overChemoradiotherapyFemaleHumansMaleAntineoplastic Agents, AlkylatingDNA Modification MethylasesDNA Repair EnzymesMGMT protein, humanTemozolomideTumor Suppressor Proteinselderly/frail GB patientsMGMT promoter methylationstratified treatment

Identifiers

PMID38912869
PMCPMC11449086

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.