Treatment outcomes in glioblastoma patients aged 76 years or older: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

Age is one of the most important prognostic factors in glioblastoma patients, but no standard treatment has been established for elderly patients with this condition. We therefore conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate treatment regimens and outcomes in elderly glioblastoma patients. The study population consisted of 79 glioblastoma patients aged ≥ 76 years (median age 78.0 years; 34 men and 45 women). The median preoperative Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score was 60. Surgical procedures were classified as biopsy (31 patients, 39.2 %), <95 % resection of the tumor (21 patients, 26.9 %), and ≥ 95 % resection of the tumor (26 patients, 33.3 %). Sixty-seven patients (81.0 %) received radiotherapy and 45 patients (57.0 %) received chemotherapy. The median overall progression-free survival time was 6.8 months, and the median overall survival time was 9.8 months. Patients aged ≥ 78 years were significantly less likely to receive radiotherapy (p = 0.004). Patients with a postoperative KPS score of ≥ 60 were significantly more likely to receive maintenance chemotherapy (p = 0.008). Multivariate analyses identified two independent prognostic factors: postoperative KPS score ≥ 60 (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.531, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.315-0.894, p = 0.017) and temozolomide therapy (HR = 0.442, 95 % CI 0.25-0.784, p < 0.001).The findings of this study suggest that postoperative KPS score is an important prognostic factor for glioblastoma patients aged ≥ 76 years, and that these patients may benefit from temozolomide therapy.