Management, functional outcomes and survival in a French multicentric series of 118 adult patients with cerebellar...

To analyze the outcomes and predictors in a large series of cerebellar glioblastomas in order to guide patient management.

The French brain tumor database and the Club de Neuro-Oncologie of the Société Française de Neurochirurgie retrospectively identified adult patients with cerebellar glioblastoma diagnosed between 2003 and 2017. Diagnosis was confirmed by a centralized neuropathological review.

Data from 118 cerebellar glioblastoma patients were analyzed (mean age 55.9 years, 55.1% males). The clinical presentation associated raised intracranial pressure (50.8%), static cerebellar syndrome (68.6%), kinetic cerebellar syndrome (49.2%) and/or cranial nerve disorders (17.8%). Glioblastomas were hemispheric (55.9%), vermian (14.4%) or both (29.7%). Hydrocephalus was present in 49 patients (41.5%). Histologically, tumors corresponded either to IDH-wild-type or to K27-mutant glioblastomas. Surgery consisted of total (12.7%), subtotal (35.6%), partial resection (33.9%) or biopsy (17.8%). The postoperative Karnofsky performance status was improved, stable and worsened in 22.4%, 43.9% and 33.7% of patients, respectively. Progression-free and overall survivals reached 5.1 months and 9.1 months, respectively. Compared to other surgical strategies, total or subtotal resection improved the Karnofsky performance status (33.3% vs 12.5%, p < 0.001), prolonged progression-free and overall survivals (6.5 vs 4.3 months, p = 0.015 and 16.7 vs 6.2 months, p < 0.001, respectively) and had a comparable complication rate (40.4% vs 31.1%, p = 0.29). After total or subtotal resection, the functional outcomes were correlated with age (p = 0.004) and cerebellar hemispheric tumor location (p < 0.001) but not brainstem infiltration (p = 0.16).

In selected patients, maximal resection of cerebellar glioblastoma is associated with improved onco-functional outcomes, compared with less invasive procedures.