Severina Leu1, Jean-Louis Boulay2, Sarah Thommen3, Heiner C Bucher3, Christoph Stippich4, Luigi Mariani5, Andrea Bink4. 1. Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Brain Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: severina.leu@unibas.ch. 2. Brain Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. 3. Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. 4. Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Clinic for Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. 5. Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Brain Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although tumor size affects survival of patients with lower-grade glioma, a prognostic effect on patients with glioblastoma remains to be established. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 61 patients using volumetric data of tumor compartments of 61 patients obtained by preoperative magnetic resonance images using the visual ABC/2 method. Preoperative enhancing, nonenhancing, necrosis, and edema volume, the preoperative tumor area (TA) as a product of the 2 largest tumor diameters perpendicular to each other on axial T1-weighted postcontrast images, as well as postoperative enhancing residual volumes, were measured. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to associate these parameters with overall survival, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The median preoperative enhancing tumor volume was 18.2 mL (interquartile range, 8.2-41.7 mL); the median remnant tumor volume was 1.3% (interquartile range, 0.0%-42.9%). During follow-up, 59 patients (92%) died; median survival time and median follow-up time were both 404 days. We found a statistically significant multiplicative effect of TA on survival: the hazard ratio (HR) was increased by 1.096 per unit increase of 200 mm2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.027-1.170; P < 0.01). The effect of remnant tumor on HR increased multiplicatively by 1.013 (95% CI, 1.001-1.026; P = 0.04) per unit increase of 1 log (day) and 1% in tumor remnant. HR associated with age at surgery increased by 1.503 per 5 years of age (95% CI, 1.243-1.817; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TA proved to be the only glioblastoma size parameter that affects patient survival.
BACKGROUND: Although tumor size affects survival of patients with lower-grade glioma, a prognostic effect on patients with glioblastoma remains to be established. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 61 patients using volumetric data of tumor compartments of 61 patients obtained by preoperative magnetic resonance images using the visual ABC/2 method. Preoperative enhancing, nonenhancing, necrosis, and edema volume, the preoperative tumor area (TA) as a product of the 2 largest tumor diameters perpendicular to each other on axial T1-weighted postcontrast images, as well as postoperative enhancing residual volumes, were measured. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to associate these parameters with overall survival, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The median preoperative enhancing tumor volume was 18.2 mL (interquartile range, 8.2-41.7 mL); the median remnant tumor volume was 1.3% (interquartile range, 0.0%-42.9%). During follow-up, 59 patients (92%) died; median survival time and median follow-up time were both 404 days. We found a statistically significant multiplicative effect of TA on survival: the hazard ratio (HR) was increased by 1.096 per unit increase of 200 mm2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.027-1.170; P < 0.01). The effect of remnant tumor on HR increased multiplicatively by 1.013 (95% CI, 1.001-1.026; P = 0.04) per unit increase of 1 log (day) and 1% in tumor remnant. HR associated with age at surgery increased by 1.503 per 5 years of age (95% CI, 1.243-1.817; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TA proved to be the only glioblastoma size parameter that affects patient survival.