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Impact of age and co-morbidities in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a pooled data analysis of three prospective mono-institutional phase II studies

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Abstract

To analyse the impact of age and co-morbidities on compliance and outcomes in GBM patients enrolled in three prospective phase II trials. GBM patients (≥18 years) were treated with radiotherapy (60 Gy) or enrolled in a Fractionated Stereotactic Conformal-Radiotherapy Phase II trial (69.4 Gy). Concomitant and adjuvant chemotherapy with Temozolomide (TMZ) was administered. Charlson Index Co-morbidity (CCI) was used to assess co-morbidity. Toxicity was evaluated according to RTOG score. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan–Maier. Influence of age and co-morbidity was evaluated using log-rank test. From 2001 to 2008, 146 patients were enrolled: 56 (38.4 %) aged over 65 and 90 under 65. CCI ≥1 was observed in 41 % of elderly and 22 % of young group. Patients’ compliance was 97.9 % for radio-chemotherapy. Acute toxicity was mild with no difference between the groups. Global median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 12 and 18 months, respectively. Age, surgery and radiation dose correlated with survival (p = 0.01, p = 0.04 and p = 0.03). CCI ≤2 did not show any influence on OS. Our data show that elderly with a good performance status and few co-morbidity may be treated as younger patients; moreover, age confirms a negative impact on survival while CCI ≤2 did not correlated with OS.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Matt Patresi for his support in the revision of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli, 00135, Rome, Italy

    Mario Balducci, Silvia Chiesa, Stefania Manfrida, Giuseppe Roberto D’Agostino, Giovanna Mantini, Vincenzo Frascino, Gian Carlo Mattiucci, Berardino De Bari, Francesco Miccichè, Maria Antonietta Gambacorta & Vincenzo Valentini

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, IRCCS/CROB, via S. Pio 1, 85028, Rionero in Vulture, PZ, Italy

    Alba Fiorentino

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli, 00135, Rome, Italy

    Pasquale De Bonis, Annunziato Mangiola, Gabriella Colicchio & Carmelo Anile

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, “John Paul II” Center for High Technology Research and Education in Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University, Campobasso, Italy

    Alessio Giuseppe Morganti

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  1. Mario Balducci
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Correspondence to Alba Fiorentino.

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Balducci, M., Fiorentino, A., De Bonis, P. et al. Impact of age and co-morbidities in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a pooled data analysis of three prospective mono-institutional phase II studies. Med Oncol 29, 3478–3483 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-012-0263-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-012-0263-3

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