title: Prognostic factors in intramedullary astrocytomas.
abstract: This report presents a retrospective prognostic study of 65 patients with intramedullary astrocytoma surgically treated between 1953 and 1990. Median survival and statistical survival at 5 years were assessed in relation to clinical, histological and therapeutic factors for each patient. Results showed that factors positively influencing the prognosis are low histological grade of the tumour and good pre- and post-operative general conditions. Among the grade II astrocytomas, the fibrillary and protoplasmatic types presented longer survival times regardless of the type of removal performed. In anaplastic astrocytomas the simultaneous presence of certain morphological features indicative of higher malignancy negatively influenced survival. The degree of resection did not influence average survival within each histological grade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Mediterranean Neuromed Institute of Neurosciences, IRCCS, Pozzilli (Is), Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Innocenzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvati
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cervoni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delfini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cantore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate