The role of tumor resection in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme in adults

✍ Scribed by Friedrich W. Kreth; Ansgar Berlis; Vicki Spiropoulou; Michael Faist; Rudi Scheremet; Reinhard Rossner; Benedikt Volk; Christoph B. Ostertag

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 90 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19991115)86:10<2117::aid-cncr33>3.0.co;2-8

✦ Synopsis

BACKGROUND.

The therapeutic impact of tumor resection is poorly defined. Therefore the current study was conducted.

METHODS.

A retrospective, 2-institutional study was conducted (1991-1994) to compare the treatment results of stereotactic biopsy plus radiation therapy (99 patients; tumor dose: 60 gray [Gy]) with those of surgical resection plus radiation therapy (126 patients; tumor dose: 60 Gy). Only adult patients with supratentorial, lobar located, de novo glioblastoma were included. Survival time was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic factors were obtained from the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS. Patients were categorized in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Classes IV (46 patients), V (157 patients), and VI (22 patients). The resection group and the biopsy group did not differ in terms of age, pretreatment Karnofsky performance status KPS), gender, duration of symptoms, presenting symptoms, tumor location, tumor size, and the frequency of midline shift. Patients