Treatment patterns and outcomes in high-risk WHO grade 2 diffuse glioma: a multicentre retrospective cohort study

The optimal adjuvant alkylating chemotherapy regimen for high-risk WHO grade 2 glioma in the molecular era remains uncertain. We evaluated real-world treatment patterns, toxicity, and outcomes following radiotherapy with adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) or procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV) in a multicentre Canadian cohort.

PROTECT is a retrospective multicentre cohort study including adults with clinically defined high-risk WHO grade 2 diffuse glioma treated with radiotherapy and adjuvant alkylating chemotherapy. Clinical, molecular, treatment delivery, toxicity, surveillance, and survival data were collected. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test and Cox regression.

A total of 116 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 71 months. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation was present in 84.6% of evaluable cases, and 1p/19q codeletion in 56.6% of tested tumours. Median OS was not reached, with estimated 3- and 5-year OS rates of 97.3% and 94.1%, respectively. Median PFS was 8.4 years, with 3- and 5-year PFS rates of 83.6% and 77.9%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, IDH status was the only independent predictor of PFS (HR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.12-11.15; p = 0.03). Among patients with IDH-mutant tumours, PFS did not differ significantly between TMZ and PCV, including in analyses stratified by 1p/19q status. PCV was associated with higher rates of dose modification, treatment delays, and hematologic toxicity.

In high-risk WHO grade 2 glioma, outcomes were favorable with radiotherapy and adjuvant alkylating chemotherapies, with greater toxicity associated with PCV compared to TMZ. IDH mutational status emerged as the dominant prognostic factor. Prospective, molecularly stratified trials are necessary to characterize comparative effectiveness of regimens.