Predicting survival using the 2016 World Health Organization classification for anaplastic glioma

This study aimed to investigate the survival and prognostic factors for anaplastic glioma, and whether the updated 2016 WHO classification had superior ability to predict survival.

Between January 2001 and December 2013, 113 consecutive patients were diagnosed with anaplastic glioma based on the 2007 WHO classification. We re-classified their diagnoses in accordance with the 2016 WHO classification. The Kaplan-Meier method, multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis, and a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve were used for the analysis.

The median overall survival was 48.4 months among all patients, and 21.5 months for the anaplastic astrocytoma, IDH wild-type (AAw) group. The median progression-free survival was 31.8 months among all patients and 16.4 in the AAw group. Age, MGMT promoter methylation status, deep tumor location, and resection extent were associated with overall survival and progression-free survival.

We found that the 2016 WHO classification of central nervous system tumors had superior ability to predict survival in cases of anaplastic glioma, as compared to the 2007 WHO classification.