High-dose etoposide in the treatment of relapsed primary brain tumors.

Twenty-four patients with relapsed primary intracranial tumors were treated with high-dose etoposide (600-1000 mg/m2). All patients had received previous radiotherapy and 15 had had previous chemotherapy. The treatment was well-tolerated, with little toxicity. Only one patient showed a partial response, which was maintained for 78 weeks. Four patients had stable disease, for a median of 15 weeks. Etoposide failed to show useful activity in relapsed brain tumors.