Is Optimal Treatment Effective on Survival in Patients Diagnosed with Glioblastome Multiforme of Sixty-Five Years and Over?

Objective: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Optimal treatment is adjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy following the widest possible surgical resection (maximum safe resection) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. However, the geriatric group is not treated optimally. Recent studies have shown that optimal treatment benefits in the older group, similar to those in younger patients.We aimed to investigate the effect of optimal treatment on survival in patients 65 years of age and older with GBM. Methods: In Pamukkale University Medical Oncology Clinic, the files of 71 patients with a pathological diagnosis of GBM between 2010 and 2018 were retrospectively evaluated.Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were recorded from the file. Results: Of the 71 patients evaluated, 25 (35.2%) were 65 and over, 46 (64.8%) were under 65 years old. Of the twentyfive patients, 11 (44%) were male and 14 (56%) were female. Median follow-up time was 16.2 months (12.4-19.9) and median overall survival time was 12.5 months (10.4-14.7) in all patient groups. The median overall survival of patients under the age of 65 years was 15.1 months (12.6-17.6 months), and patients aged 65 and over were 8.6 months (7.9-9.3 months) (p <0.001). The median overall survival was 8.9 months (8.4-9.4 months) in patients 65 years and older who received optimal treatment, while the median overall survival was 7.9 months (3.4-12.4 months) in patients who did not (p:0.048). Conclusion: The median overall survival time of patients 65 years and older who received optimal therapy was significantly longer than those who did not. It has been observed that survival outcomes are improved when elderly patients with good performance can receive optimal treatment like younger patients.