Is there a limited value of cytoreductive surgery in elderly patients with malignant gliomas?

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GB) is well known for being the most aggressive primary cerebral malignancy. The peak incidence is at 60–70 years of age, with over half of patients aged over 65 years at diagnosis. METHODS: Patients with a confirmed histological diagnosis of GB between January 2009 and June 2016 at a single center were retrospectively identified. The inclusion criteria for the study were age over 65 years at diagnosis, and surgical management with either a burr hole biopsy or craniotomy. RESULTS: A total of n = 289 patients underwent surgery for GB, with a median age at diagnosis of 71 years, and of whom 64% were male. Craniotomies were performed in 71%, with burr hole biopsies performed in the remainder (29%). Patient survival differed significantly with treatment modality (P < 0.001), ranging from a median of 382 days in those treated with a combination of craniotomy, radiotherapy (RT), and temozolomide (TZM), to 43 days in those only receiving a burr hole biopsy with no further treatment. On multivariable analysis, treatment with RT + TZM was significantly independently associated with longer patient survival (P < 0.001). Craniotomy was associated with a significant improvement in performance status, compared to burr hole biopsy (P = 0.006). For the subgroup of patients receiving TZM, those with a methylated O(6)-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) status had significantly longer overall survival than those with unmethylated MGMT (median: 407 vs. 341 days, P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: Our retrospective data demonstrate that the elderly population with GB benefit from aggressive chemo-RT, regardless of surgical intervention.