Case of Advanced Recurrent Glioblastoma Successfully Treated with Monoterpene Perillyl Alcohol by Intranasal Administration

C. O. Da Fonseca, Raphael M. Teixeira, Ricardo Ramina, Giovana Kovaleski, Júlio Thome Silva, Janaína Nagel, Thereza Quirico-Santos

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DOI: 10.4236/jct.2011.21003                

Abstract

We report a case of recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) successfully treated with the Ras inhibitor monoterpene perillyl alcohol by intranasal administration. A 37-years-old white woman had been previously submitted to three neurosurgical procedures, in June 2000 for radical tumor excision of grade II astrocytoma; in July 2003 for first recurrence of type IV glioma and in August 2004 for GBM recurrence. After last surgery, patient started a new cycle of chemotherapy but was refractory to treatment, presented clinical adverse effects and resonance image scan showed no reduction of tumoral lesion. Patient was then considered out of therapeutic possibilities and indicated for supportive treatment. On March 2005 patient joined Phase I/II clinical trial for assess the efficacy of the monoterpene POH, a Ras inhibitor. POH was administered by intranasal route four times a day (268 mg daily) as single chemotherapy agent. Image scans performed 3 and 5 years later revealed marked reduction of enhancing lesion. This illustrative case demonstrates that intranasal administration of the monoterpene POH as a single agent was an effective therapeutic strategy capable to sustain long-term regression of recurrent glioma without clinical and laboratory toxicity.

Keywords

Glioblastoma, Long-term Survival, Perillyl Alcohol, Intranasal Administration

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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