Abstract
High-dose BCNU therapy (supralethal chemotherapy) with autologous bone marrow rescue after Hochberg was performed on a 7-year-old boy suffering from a recurrent brain stem glioblastoma multiforme. CT scan in December 1979 showed a pontine glioma (low density area at the upper half of the pons). X-ray therapy and chemotherapy were done twice with remissions (5, 000 rads + 4, 500 rads). At the time of the third neurological exacerbation in March 1981, CT scan disclosed the tumor extending up to the left basal ganglia. Therefore, 500 mg of BCNU (600 mg/sq. m) was given in preparation for autologous bone marrow grafting. Eight weeks after this procedure, CT scan showed the complete disappearance of the tumor shadow and good neurological recovery was obtained. However, the patient expired on the 61st day due to pulmonary fibrosis. The technical simplicity of this method of bone marrow grafting (preservation of aspirated bone marrow at 4°C) was compared with cryopreservation methods. However, many side effects of high-dose. chemotherapeutic drugs, other than myelosupression, remained to be solved.
