Delay in the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme: is age a factor?

Discrimination in the delivery of health care, based on the age of the patient, is attracting increased attention. We investigated this problem by studying possible age-related delay in diagnosis in patients treated for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). A total of 213 charts of patients with GBM seen from 1972 to 1992 were evaluated for type and duration of symptom, with 204 charts having sufficient data to be analyzed. The mean and median duration of symptoms for the entire group was 48.9 and 28 days, respectively. No age-related difference in duration of symptoms was noted. In light of the increasing incidence of GBM in patients above 60 years of age, further investigation of other possible areas of age discrimination in patients with GBM is warranted.