Management of patients aged over 60 years with supratentorial glioma: lessons from an audit

Abstract

This audit of clinical management confirmed the poor prognosis for patients (n = 80) aged over 60 years with a diagnosis of supratentorial glioma. The median survival time after diagnosis was 9 weeks following steroids and 7 weeks after biopsy and steroids. Cytoreductive surgery and radiotherapy improved median survival time by a maximum of 16 weeks, but there was significant morbidity in some patients undergoing craniotomy. Although 92% of the biopsied lesions were either glioblastoma or anaplastic astrocytoma, the median survival of these patients was similar to the 8% of patients confirmed as having intermediate grade astrocytoma. Patients presenting with minimal functional deficit (WHO grade I or II) had longer median survival times than those presenting in poor condition (WHO grade III or IV). In this series there was no relationship between management undertaken and clinical status of the patient. The 9% of the cohort that survived 1 year were treated in a variety of ways. This audit, together with results from other studies, suggests that a prospective clinical trial of different management regimes in elderly patients with supratentorial gliomas is needed. Since median survival time in the most intensively treated patients will be around 6 months, treatment evaluation must consider the quality of life provided.