title: Management of elderly patients with gliomas.
abstract: The current progressive aging of the population is resulting in a continuous increase in the incidence of gliomas in elderly people, especially the most frequent subtype, glioblastoma (GBM). This sociohealth shift, known as the "silver tsunami," has prompted the neuro-oncology community to investigate the role of specific antitumor treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other targeted therapies, for these traditionally undertreated patients. Advanced age, a widely recognized poor prognostic factor in both low-grade glioma (LGG) and high-grade glioma patients, should no longer be the sole reason for excluding such older patients from receiving etiologic treatments. Far from it, results from recent prospective trials conducted on elderly patients with GBM demonstrate that active management of these patients can have a positive impact on survival without impairing either cognition or quality of life. Although prospective studies specifically addressing the management of grade 2 and 3 gliomas are lacking and thus needed, the aforementioned tendency toward acknowledging a therapeutic benefit for GBM patients might also apply to the treatment of patients with LGG and anaplastic gliomas. In order to optimize such etiologic treatment in conjunction with symptomatic management, neuro-oncology multidisciplinary boards must individually consider important features such as resectability of the tumor, functional and cognitive status, associated comorbidities, and social support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Service de Neurologie 2, Division Mazarin, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 7225, INSERM, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gállego Pérez-Larraya
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Service de Neurologie 2, Division Mazarin, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 7225, INSERM, Paris, France jean-yves.delattre@psl.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Delattre
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005910:Glioma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Elderly; Glioblastoma; Glioma; High-grade glioma; Low-grade glioma; Old patients