UCSF

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The overall prognostic significance of maximal surgical resection in patients with diffuse low-grade glioma has been well established. Nonetheless, prior studies omit the combined importance of molecular subclass, patient characteristics, and chemoradiation. Similar to findings recently published in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, incorporation of these interactive factors may redefine the relative benefit of cytoreductive surgery.

METHODS

We examine the interactive effects of volumetric extent of resection with molecular and clinical factors to develop a new roadmap for cytoreductive surgery. Based on a 20-year retrospective cohort of 556 patients with WHO II diffuse low-grade glioma treated with surgery at UCSF 444 had complete records for survival modeling and recursive partitioning (RPA) to investigate multivariate relationships of overall and progression free survival.

RESULTS

Regardless of molecular subtype, patients with tumor volume under 55cm3 and postoperative volume of residual under 1.9cm3 experience the longest OS (median OS: not reached). Patients with volume of residual over 1.9cm3 experience a OS similar to that of patients with large (over 55cm3) oligodendrogliomas (median OS: not reached). Patients faring worst have large (over 55cm3) astrocytic gliomas (median OS: 84.8 months). Patients not treated with chemotherapy and either ATRX wild-type tumors or ATRX-mutant tumors with small (under 1cm3) volume of residual have the longest PFS together with chemotherapy treated patients who receive either no radiation or radiation for p53-mutant tumors under 30cm3 (median PFS 119 months). Patients with the shortest PFS are under 32-years with larger volume of residual (>1cm3), who receive no chemotherapy for ATRX-mutant tumors together with patients who receive both chemoradiation for larger (>30cm3) p53 mutant tumors (median PFS 30.8 months).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to combine extent of resection with molecular and clinical information which paves the way for rethinking surgical strategies for individual patients with newly diagnosed low-grade gliomas.