Age-associated brain regions in gliomas: a volumetric analysis

Both age of patients and tumor location are associated with tumor origin, genetic characteristics, and prognosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between tumor location and age at diagnosis in a large cohort of patients with a primary diagnosis of glioma. We consecutively enrolled a cohort of 200 adults with glioblastoma and another cohort of 200 adults with diffuse low-grade gliomas. The magnetic resonance images of all tumors were manually segmented and then registered to a standard brain space. By using voxel-by-voxel regression analysis, specific brains regions associated with advanced age at tumor diagnosis were localized. In the low-grade gliomas cohort, the brain regions associated with advanced age at tumor diagnosis were mainly located in the right middle frontal region, while a region in the left temporal lobe, particularly at the subgranular zone, was associated with lower age at tumor diagnosis. In the glioblastoma cohort, the brain regions associated with advanced age at tumor diagnosis were mainly located in the temporal lobe, particularly at the posterior region of the subventricular zones. A region in the left inferior frontal region was associated with lower age at tumor diagnosis. Significant differences in the age of patients were found between tumors located in the identified regions and those located elsewhere in both cohorts. The current study demonstrated the correlation between tumor location and age at diagnosis, which implies differences in the origin of gliomas in young and older patients.