Improving the Selection of Patients With Glioblastoma Multiforme for Treatment With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor Therapies

Optimizing EGFR Inhibitor-Based Therapies for GBM

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment.

PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at tissue samples from patients with glioblastoma multiforme to identify biomarkers that may improve the selection of patients for epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor therapies.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Identify molecular characteristics that predict for overall survival and progression-free survival of patients treated with erlotinib hydrochloride, temozolomide, and radiotherapy on clinical trial NCCTG-N0177.

Secondary

• Identify molecular characteristics that predict for overall survival and progression-free survival of patients treated with gefitinib after radiotherapy on clinical trial NCCTG-N0074.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Tissue samples from patients enrolled on clinical trials NCCTG-N0177 or NCCTG-N0074 are analyzed by microarray analysis and immunohistochemistry for biological markers predicting progression-free survival and overall survival. Biological markers include epidermal growth factor expression, vIII mutant p53 gene, P-AKT, p7056k, S6, 4EBP1, STAT-3, PLC-g, Erk, ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, IGF1R, interleukin-6, FADD, and MGMT.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 120 patients will be accrued for this study.

All patients entered onto N0177 and N0074 who have appropriate archived clinical specimens.