Peritumor Edema Serves as an Independent Predictive Factor of Recurrence Patterns and Recurrence-Free Survival for High-Grade Glioma

OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at analyzing the factors affecting the recurrence patterns and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of high-grade gliomas (HGG). METHODS: Eligible patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were selected. Subsequently, the effects of some clinical data including age, gender, WHO pathological grades, tumor site, tumor size, clinical treatments, and peritumoral edema (PTE) area and molecular markers (Ki-67, MGMT, IDH-1, and p53) on HGG patients' recurrence patterns and RFS were analyzed. RESULTS: A total number of 77 patients were enrolled into this study. After analyzing all the cases, it was determined that tumor size and tumor site had a significant influence on the recurrent patterns of HGG, and PTE was an independent predict factor of recurrence patterns. Specifically, when the PTE was mild (<1 cm), the recurrence pattern tended to be local; in contrast, HGG was more likely to progress to marginal recurrence and distant recurrence. Furthermore, age and PTE were significantly associated with RFS; the median RFS of the population with PTE < 1 cm (23.60 months) was obviously longer than the population with PTE ≥ 1 cm (5.00 months). CONCLUSIONS: PTE is an independent predictor of recurrence patterns and RFS for HGG. Therefore, preoperative identification of PTE in HGG patients is crucially important, which is helpful to accurately estimate the recurrence pattern and RFS.