Anterior Temporal Lobectomy in Temporal Glioblastoma

Study Purpose

The ATLAS/NOA-29 trial is a prospective, multicenter, phase III randomized controlled study evaluating whether anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL), a standardized resection technique adapted from epilepsy surgery, improves clinical outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma of the anterior temporal lobe compared to conventional gross-total resection (GTR). The rationale is based on the concept of glioblastoma as a diffusely connected tumor network, with infiltrative spread extending beyond MRI-detectable tumor margins. ATL offers a reproducible supramarginal resection approach within anatomical boundaries that are routinely respected in epilepsy surgery. Patients are randomized intraoperatively in a 1:1 ratio following histopathological confirmation via intraoperative frozen section procedure. The trial's primary objective is to demonstrate superiority of ATL in overall survival (OS), while confirming non-inferiority in health-related quality of life (QoL), measured by the global health status scale of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)

  • - Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30).
Secondary outcomes include progression-free survival (PFS), seizure control, neurocognitive functioning, and longitudinal assessments of selected EORTC QLQ-C30 and BN20 domains. A total of 178 patients will be enrolled over three years, with a minimum follow-up of three years. An interim safety analysis after inclusion of 57 patients will assess functional outcome differences using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 6 months postoperatively. The study is powered (>80%) to detect a survival benefit assuming a median OS increase from 17 to 27.5 months. If proven superior to GTR, ATL could emerge as the preferred surgical strategy for isolated temporal lobe glioblastoma, offering robust evidence in favor of extending supramarginal resection principles to the broader context of glioblastoma care.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 18 Years - 74 Years
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

  • - Suspected glioblastoma with contrast-enhancement in preoperative MRI.
  • - Diffuse high-grade glioma in frozen section procedure, newly-diagnosed.
  • - Tumor localization (in gadolinium-enhanced MRI): solely temporal, non-dominant side (right hemisphere in right-handed patients, or left-handed patients after testing for dominance): within 6.5 cm from the temporal pole; dominant side (left hemisphere in right-handed patients, all left-handed patients unless additional testing for dominance performed): within 4.0 cm from the temporal pole, as determined dorsally along the Sylvian fissure.
  • - Macroscopic complete resection (no remaining contrast-enhancing tumoral lesion on early postoperative MRI) is achievable (decision of the treating neurosurgeon) - In case further T1-contrast-enhancing and/or T2/FLAIR lesions are detected beyond the resection margins (6.5 cm on the non-dominant side and 4.0 cm on the dominant side), these lesions are not attributed to the tumor (except perifocal edema) but to other conditions according to the local treating neurosurgeon.
  • - ≥ 18 and < 75 years of age.
  • - KPS ≥ 70% - Estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months.
  • - Written informed consent.
  • - Cognitive state to understand the rationale and necessity of the study therapy and procedures.
  • - Patient compliance and geographic proximity that allow adequate follow-up.
  • - For patients with childbearing potential: negative serum pregnancy test (beta-HCG) at baseline visit, patient's commitment to use an approved contraceptive method during the trial and for 3 months after (Pearl index < 1%) - Adequate organ function at baseline visit that does not preclude alkylating chemotherapy and neurosurgical procedures (all criteria required): - Adequate bone marrow reserve: white blood cell (WBC) count ≥ 3.000/µl; granulocyte count > 1.500/µl; platelets ≥ 100.000/µl; haemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dl.
  • - Adequate liver function: bilirubin < 1.5 times above upper limit of normal range (ULN); alanine transaminase (ALT/SGPT) and aspartate transaminase (AST/ALAT) < 3 times ULN.
  • - Adequate renal function: creatinine < 1.5 times ULN.
  • - Adequate blood clotting: Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) not exceeding the upper limit of normal range and International Normalized Ratio (INR) <1.5; in case of intake of anticoagulant medication or platelet function inhibitors, the coagulation analysis must show no detectable effect in specific blood tests (as described below) at the time of surgery, and discontinuation of the anticoagulant medication must be justifiable for at least 1 week postoperatively.
  • - Direct acting oral anticoagulants (e.g., rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, dabigatran): anti-Factor Xa (aFXa)-activity within the normal range (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban), TT/TCT (thrombin clotting time) or ecarin clotting time (ECT) not exceeding the upper limit of normal range (Dabigatran) or verification of subtherapeutic drug levels (apixaban, edoxaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) - Vitamin K antagonists (coumarins): INR < 1.5.
  • - Unfractionated heparin (UFH) and argatroban: activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) not exceeding the upper limit of normal range.
  • - Fractionated heparin/low-molecular-weight heparin (e.g., dalteparin, enoxaparin), heparinoid (e.g., fondaparinux, danaparoid): aFXa-activity within the normal range.
  • - Antiplatelet agents (aspirin, clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor): platelet function analyzer (PFA) test not exceeding the upper limit of normal range (aspirin), whole blood aggregometry not below lower limits of normal range (clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor) For details see study protocol.

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT07021339
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Phase 3
Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

University Hospital, Bonn
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

N/A
Principal Investigator Affiliation N/A
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other
Overall Status Recruiting
Countries Germany
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Newly-diagnosed Glioblastoma, Temporal Lobe
Study Website: View Trial Website
Arms & Interventions

Arms

Active Comparator: Gross total resection (GTR)

Complete resection of the contrast-enhancing tumor in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Experimental: Anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL)

Anterior temporal lobectomy

Interventions

Procedure: - Anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL)

Patients assigned to the experimental group will undergo an anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) according to established protocols adapted from epilepsy surgery. ATL is a reproducible and anatomically well-defined procedure routinely performed in patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy. On the non-dominant hemisphere, the neocortical resection typically extends 6.5 cm posteriorly from the temporal pole, while on the dominant side, the resection length is limited to 4.0 cm, both measured along the superior temporal gyrus and guided by the Sylvian fissure. Language dominance is determined based on handedness, as specified in the inclusion criteria. In most cases, the lateral neocortical segment can be removed en bloc. The mesial component of ATL encompasses resection of the uncus, amygdala, and the anterior hippocampus, typically including both the head and body. Resection is carried out to the level of the tectal plate or, at minimum, to the lateral mesencephalic sulcus.

Procedure: - Gross Total Resection (GTR)

Patients will be surgically treated with GTR in terms of removing 100% of the tumor tissue in gadolinium-enhanced MRI.

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

International Sites

University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Status

Recruiting

Address

University Hospital Bonn

Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, 53127

Site Contact

Dr. Rafael Struck

[email protected]

+49 228 287 10586

Stay Informed & Connected