title: Elderly and poor prognosis patients with high grade glioma: hypofractionated radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate efficacy of short-course radiotherapy in elderly and/or poor performance status patients with high grade glioma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients with high grade astrocytoma were selected in our Institute to receive hypofractionated radiotherapy. We considered two radiotherapy treatment arms: in arm I there were 22 patients treated with 60 Gy in 30 fractions at 5 fractions per week; in arm 2 there were 21 patients who received hypofractionated radiotherapy course of 30 Gy in 10 fractions at 5 fractions per week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In arm1 the median survival time was 8.2 months and the 1 year overall survival was 36%; in arm 2 the estimated median survival was 6.2 months and the 1 year overall survival was 23%. Treatment was without acute toxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, hypofractionated radiotherapy seems to be a reasonable treatment option for poor prognosis patients with high grade astrocytoma. It is well tolerated and can reduce the overall treatment time without negative effects on survival compared with conventional fractionation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rollo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Messineo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santuari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castrichino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caiazzo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvati
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delfini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Banelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate