carboplatin + thiotepa + etoposide

This combination regimen, referred to as Single Cycle Intensive Chemotherapy in the context of the HeadStart4 clinical trial (NCT03662802), is a dose-intensive consolidation treatment for young children (under 10 years old) newly diagnosed with medulloblastoma or other central nervous system (CNS) embryonal tumors. The regimen consists of a single cycle of carboplatin, thiotepa, and etoposide, followed by autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell rescue (AHPCR). It is designed to eliminate residual microscopic disease following induction chemotherapy. In the HeadStart4 study, this single-cycle approach is being compared to a tandem (three-cycle) intensive chemotherapy regimen to evaluate whether the increased dose intensity of the tandem cycles provides superior event-free and overall survival outcomes without significantly increasing long-term morbidity.

Other names

Single Cycle Intensive ChemotherapySingle Cycle Consolidation (HeadStart4)Carboplatin + Thiotepa + Etoposide