title: Survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme has not improved between 1993 and 2004: analysis of 625 cases.
abstract: Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumour. The aim of this study was to determine trends in survival over a 12-year period. Survival data were collected retrospectively for 625 patients who had surgery for histologically-confirmed glioblastoma between 1993 and 2004 in a single centre. Data including age, sex, preoperative Karnofsky performance score, tumour site, date of surgery, and type of surgical and adjuvant treatment were collected. Overall median survival was 189 days; there was no significant change in survival over 12 years. Multivariate analysis identified the following independent positive prognostic factors: age <60 years (p < 0.0005), Karnofsky score > or = 70 (p < 0.0001), tumour debulking, rather than biopsy (p < 0.001), right-sided lesion (p < 0.05), unilateral tumour (p < 0.05) and radiotherapy (p < 0.0001). Despite neurosurgical advances, the survival of patients with glioblastoma has not changed for more than a decade. Although, overall, glioblastoma has a short survival, our data show that individual patient survival is heterogeneous.
authors.affiliation: Academic Neurosurgery Unit, St George's University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tait
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petrik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loosemore
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome