title: Hypofractionated conformal irradiation of patients with malignant glioma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of a conformal irradiation in short fractionation scheme of 49.5Gy in 15 fractions in an overall time of 3 weeks, in terms of overall survival (OAS) and progression free survival (PFS) rates in brain glioma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted on 54 brain glioma patients and was carried out in the Radiation Oncology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University during the period from April 2006 till June 2009. Patients were treated by hypofractionated conformal irradiation (49.5 Gy/15 fractions/3 weeks).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow up was 23 months (range: 9-39 months). Two-year OAS and PFS rates were 68% and 60%, respectively. In univariate analysis, age >50 years, poor performance status [Karnofasky score of ≥40-≤70%], poor neuroperformance status of score III, high-grade tumor [glioblastoma multiforme], and biopsy were all associated with statistically significant reduction in OAS and PFS rates. Multivariate analysis, showed that age >50 years and glioblastoma pathology were the only independent prognostic factors that were associated with poor OAS (p=0.003 and p=0.004, respectively), and PFS (p=0.027 and p=0.011, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypofractionated conformal radiotherapy was as effective as the conventional radiotherapy, with time sparing for patients, and for radiation oncology centers. Hypofractionated radiotherapy may be considered the radiotherapy regimen of choice in clinical practice for patients with gliomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute (SECI), Assiut, Egypt. maboziada70@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aboziada
authors.forename: Ahmed E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Abo-Kresha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal; D016896:Treatment Outcome