title: Prognostic factors in chordoma: role of postoperative radiotherapy.
abstract: We have investigated prognostic factors for survival in a series of 26 patients with chordoma treated in Lyon, France, between 1979 and 1993. In this series, the median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10 and 90 months, respectively. In univariate analysis, PFS, but not OS, was found significantly longer in males as compared to females (median: 19 versus 7 months, P = 0.05); and patients under 60 years of age had a longer PFS (median: 18 versus 6 months; P = 0.06) and OS (median: 108 versus 47+, P = 0.05) than older patients. A favourable prognostic subgroup including male patients under 60 years and a poor prognostic group including female patients and male over 60 years were thus defined (median PFS: 36 versus 6 months, P = 0.001; median OS: 108 versus 55+, P = 0.15). Primary treatment combining surgery and postoperative radiotherapy was associated with a longer PFS than surgery only (median: 36 versus 7 months, P = 0.002) in the whole series and in both prognostic subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Centre Léon Bérard, Service de chimiothérapie intensive et greffe de moelle, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thieblemont
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rocher
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouhour
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Bobin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gérard
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Blay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D002817:Chordoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis