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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
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The Clinical Application of Tumor Treating Fields Therapy in Glioblastoma
Published on: April 16, 2019
Long-term survival with glioblastoma multiforme
Dietmar Krex1, Barbara Klink, Christian Hartmann
1Department of Neurosurgery, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, University of Technology, Dresden, Germany. dietmar.krex@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|September 6, 2007
Summary
Glioblastoma long-term survivors often have a younger age at diagnosis and good initial Karnofsky performance score (KPS). Significantly more long-term survivors exhibit MGMT promoter hypermethylation compared to typical glioblastoma patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cancer Genomics
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Glioblastoma (GBM) has a poor prognosis, with median survival around 12 months.
- A small subset of GBM patients (3-5%) survive over 3 years, termed long-term survivors.
- Factors influencing GBM long-term survival remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify clinical and molecular factors associated with long-term survival in glioblastoma.
- To analyze demographic, clinical, and molecular characteristics of GBM long-term survivors.
Main Methods:
- Detailed clinical and molecular analysis of 55 primary glioblastoma long-term survivors.
- Data collection included demographics, clinical status (Karnofsky performance score - KPS), treatment, environmental, and occupational factors.
- Molecular analyses focused on MGMT hypermethylation, TP53 mutations, EGFR amplification, and 1p/19q deletions.
- Comparison with a cohort of 141 unselected GBM patients from the German Glioma Network.
Main Results:
- Long-term survivors were characterized by young age at diagnosis and good initial KPS.
- No association was found between socioeconomic, environmental, or occupational factors and long-term survival.
- MGMT hypermethylation was significantly more frequent in long-term survivors (74%) compared to the general GBM cohort.
- TP53 mutations (29%) and EGFR amplification (26%) were observed, with only 6% showing combined 1p/19q deletions.
Conclusions:
- Younger age at diagnosis and good initial KPS are favorable clinical factors for glioblastoma long-term survival.
- MGMT promoter hypermethylation is strongly associated with glioblastoma long-term survival.
- These findings highlight the importance of specific clinical and molecular markers in predicting glioblastoma patient outcomes.
