2016 Volume 25 Issue 11 Pages 889-894
1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) is an anti-cancer drug that directly attacks residual tumors without systemic toxicity. BCNU wafers were formally approved in 2013 for use in Japan and have already been used in more than 3,000 cases. BCNU wafers act as an anti-tumor agent for malignant glioma in order to suppress tumor regrowth from surgery to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Previous reports have demonstrated that complete resection of malignant glioma leads to a significant improvement in patient survival. Besides this, very little is known with regards to improving survival for these patients. For treatment with BCNU wafers, due care must be taken to avoid complications, such as surgical site infection, brain edema, and epilepsy. Because little is known about the potential effects of BCNU wafers in patients treated with standard chemoradiotherapy, it is now necessary to carry out further investigations in larger randomized controlled clinical trials.
