Patients with active infections are excluded. Pregnant or nursing women are excluded because of the potentially adverse effects of treatment on the developing fetus or newborn. For premenopausal women or men of reproductive potential, an inability or unwillingness to consider effective contraception until the completion of therapy renders them ineligible for this study. Although these tumors are considered incurable, treatment is usually beneficial. Standard treatment for this condition is radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy is the treatment of tumors by means of xrays.
Although most tumors eventually regrow, radiation treatments often delay regrowth for extended periods, sometimes years. Some tumors never regrow after standard treatment but this is uncommon. Doctors have noticed that this type of brain cancer often responds to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the treatment of tumors by means of chemicals. When given before radiation therapy, PCV shrinks most newly diagnosed tumors.