Primary Gliosarcoma: A 15-Year Experience at a Tertiary Care Center

Area of Science:

• Neuro-oncology
• Pathology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Gliosarcomas (GSM) are rare intracranial tumors with both glial and mesenchymal components.
• Limited literature exists on their clinical, radiological, pathological features, and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze clinicoradiological presentations, pathological features, treatment modalities, and survival of gliosarcoma patients.
• To investigate potential differences in outcomes between GSM subtypes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of histopathologically confirmed gliosarcoma cases.
• Subdivision of patients into two groups based on intraoperative macroscopic appearance: meningioma-like and glioblastoma-like.
• Analysis of survival data in relation to tumor subtype and treatment received.

Main Results:

• Twenty-five patients (17 males, 8 females) with a mean age of 45.8 years were analyzed.
• The frontal lobe was the most common tumor site, with a mean symptom duration of 2 months.
• Patients with meningioma-like tumors had significantly better survival than those with glioblastoma-like features (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• The study supports two distinct types of gliosarcoma: glioblastoma-like and meningioma-like.
• Maximal safe surgical excision is a favorable prognostic factor for gliosarcoma.
• Meningioma-like gliosarcomas demonstrate a better survival outcome compared to glioblastoma-like gliosarcomas.