Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2011) 26 P583

1Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Neurosurgery Department, Istanbul, Turkey; 3Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Pathology Department, Istanbul, Turkey.


Background: Currently, no effective medical treatment exists for recurrent and aggressive craniopharyngiomas that are resistant to conventional therapies, including repeat surgeries and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Temozolomide is an alkylating chemotherapeutic agent and is used routinely in the management of high grade gliomas. The response to temozolomide is suggested to be dependent on the tumoral expression of O-6 methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Evidence supports that low MGMT immunoexpression correlates with positive response to temozolomide

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate MGMT immunoexpression in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, in an effort to predict the likelihood of response to temozolomide.

Methods: Our material consisted of 23 adamantinomatous craniofaryngiomas operated at the Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital during the interval 1993–2009 and identified by histological analysis. Immunostaining for MGMT was performed using the avidin–biotin–peroxidase complex method. MGMT immunoreactivity was evaluated microscopically and recorded as percentage of nuclear MGMT immunostaining.

Results: Of the 23 specimens evaluated, 22 (96%) demonstrated negative (<10%) and 1 (4%) demonstrated low (10%) MGMT immunoexpression.

Conclusion: The data provided by the current study suggests all adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas exhibit low MGMT immunoreactivity and could be treated with temozolomide. Our findings provide a ground for the assessment of TMZ’s efficacy in clinical trials as an alternative agent in this rare tumor subtype, if conventional therapy, including repeat surgeries and RT, fails.

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