[Supratentorial glioblastoma in adults. Therapeutic results]

This retrospective study concerns 55 adult patients with supratentorial glioblastoma. The tumours were treated by complete or partial surgical excision whenever possible (31 cases), radiotherapy (22 cases) in doses of 60 Gy over 6 to 7 weeks (40 Gy with telecobalt and 20 Gy with superimposed electrons) and multiple chemotherapy (10 cases) with VM26 and CCNU or BCNU. Although the number of patients in some categories was too small for statistical evaluation, the results obtained were in agreement with those found in the literature and indicative of what can be expected. In patients with inoperable tumours the mean survival was increased from 2 to 8 months by radiotherapy or chemotherapy given separately, and from 2 to 9 or 10 months only when these two methods were combined. The mean survival of patients with partial tumoral excision was 2.5 months extended to 10 months after post-operative radiotherapy; one patient in this group who received both radiotherapy and chemotherapy is still alive after more than 5 years. In patients with macroscopically satisfactory excision, the 12 months good quality survival obtained by surgery was apparently prolonged to 22 months with radiotherapy; 3 of these patients who had both radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery are alive and in good condition after 15, 16 and 28 months respectively.