Patterns of care in elderly glioblastoma patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the patterns of care in elderly glioblastoma (GBM) patients from a large population-based registry.


METHODS
We identified a cohort of GBM patients 65 years or older from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry data linked with Medicare claims between 1994 and 2002. We assessed the impact of demographic characteristics and comorbidities on the probability of undergoing surgical resection, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy within 3 months of diagnosis using multivariate logistic regression.


RESULTS
A total of 4,137 patients with GBM were included, with a median overall survival of 4 months. Sixty-one percent of patients underwent resection at diagnosis; 65% received RT and 10% received chemotherapy within 3 months of diagnosis. In a multivariate regression analysis, age was the most significant predictor of resection, RT, or chemotherapy. Black race (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; p = 0.008) was associated with lower rates of surgical resection. Factors associated with decreased likelihood of receiving RT included unmarried marital status (OR, 0.64; p < 0.0001) and more comorbidities (OR, 0.55; p < 0.0001). Factors associated with decreased likelihood of receiving chemotherapy included unmarried marital status (OR, 0.59; p = 0.0002) and more comorbidities (OR, 0.56; p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Survival of elderly GBM patients was poor in this population-based study. Age, marital status, and comorbidities influenced the probability of receiving RT or chemotherapy in this cohort.
Iwamoto
Fabio M
FM
Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Reiner
Anne S
AS
Panageas
Katherine S
KS
Elkin
Elena B
EB
Abrey
Lauren E
LE
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods*; D018426:SEER Program; D016896:Treatment Outcome