title: Inability of computed tomography appearance of recurrent malignant astrocytoma to predict survival following reoperation.
abstract: Computed tomographic (CT) scans of 39 patients who underwent reoperation for recurrent malignant astrocytoma at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from 1980 through 1987 were reviewed and correlated with the patients' clinical course. Histologic diagnosis (anaplastic astrocytoma v glioblastoma multiforme) had a statistically significant impact on survival following reoperation (P = .038). Patients with high preoperative performance status (P = .29), total resection by postoperative CT scan (P = .15), and frontal lobe tumors (P = .17) tended to survive longer following reoperation. The size of the tumor at the time of recurrence did not correlate with survival following reoperation. Patients with a small amount of peritumoral edema at the time of recurrence tended to survive longer, but the effect was small (P = .16). Prognosis following reoperation cannot be accurately predicted on the basis of tumor appearance on CT scan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wallner
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Galicich
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Malkin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arbit
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krol
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D012086:Reoperation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed