Immunotoxin Treatment of Brain Tumors

Current treatment for malignant gliomas, which includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, is associated with a poor prognosis (1 , 2 ). Patients with glioblastoma multiforme have an estimated 2 yr survival of less than 20% (1 ). Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis carries an estimated mean survival of 2-3 mo (3 ). Localized radiation therapy techniques such as brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery often fail to prevent disease progression at the primary tumor site (4 ). Unfortunately, the lack of specificity of both radiation therapy and chemotherapy for malignant cells has resulted in central nervous system (CNS) toxicity and unacceptable side effects (1 , 2 ).