Prognostic Factors in Elderly Patients with High-grade Gliomas: A Retrospective Analysis of 24 Cases

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due to the aging of the population, diagnosis of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) in the elderly is becoming more common. The purpose of this study was to report our experience in 24 elderly patients with HGGs and evaluate the value of different prognostic factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective analysis of 24 elderly patients of ≥60 years with newly diagnosed HGGs, who were treated at our department between January 2009 and December 2012, was done. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Age, gender, Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) score, extent of surgery, and use of temozolomide were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Survival was determined using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences were compared using the log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: The median overall survival of the patient cohort was 10 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 45.8% and 16.6%, respectively. The analysis revealed that KPS score and use of concomitant chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The results of our analyses demonstrate that KPS score and use of concomitant chemotherapy yield encouraging outcomes in elderly patients with HGGs, validating the results published in research papers.