Management of elderly patients with glioblastoma: current status with a focus on the post-operative radiation therapy

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most malignant primary intracranial neoplasms. This review aims to summarize the treatment of elderly patients with newly diagnosed GBM, with a focus on the radiation therapy (RT) approach. The available literature was reviewed, and we describe the most significant results relating to the post-operative approach of elderly GBM patients. Age limitations in randomized phase III studies have restricted the inclusion of elderly patients, and consequently, limited the generalizability of their results to this patient subset. Chronological age should not prohibit the best treatment, but instead, treatment decisions should consider patient functional status. RT showed efficacy and safety in the elderly population, without compromising quality of life. Hypofractionated RT is not inferior to standard RT. Reduction of overall RT schedule length mitigates the difficulties faced by elderly patients, improving treatment adherence. The addition of both concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide to standard RT is superior to either modality alone and should be the treatment of choice in the subset of patients with good/very good prognosis. It is reasonable to offer hypofractionated RT or temozolomide alone for poor prognosis, and best supportive care (BSC) for very poor prognosis elderly GBM patients. Although combined modality treatment is well established for the management of the good prognosis population, different RT schemes require further investigation with randomized controlled trials to determine the best regimen. A robust analysis of the molecular signatures of GBM in elderly patients might reveal opportunities for clinical protocol modifications to customize management in this group of patients.

Keywords: Glioblastoma (GBM); chemotherapy; radiation therapy (RT); temozolomide.