Background: There is lack of clear evidence and treatment guidelines for anaplastic gliomas (AGs) with very few studies focusing exclusively on these patients. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical profile and survival in these patients.
Materials and methods: Patients of AGs treated with radiation and concurrent ± adjuvant chemotherapy from January 2010 to December 2015 were analyzed. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20 software.
Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the study. The median age was 35 years (range 6-68 years). Eighty-four patients had follow-up details and were included for survival analysis. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 58%. Age, presentation with seizures, and focal neurological deficit were not found to significantly influence survival. The 5-year survival for oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma was 69% and 52%, respectively. Patients with Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) of ≥70 had a significantly better 5-year OS (65%) as compared to those with KPS <70 (33%) (P = 0.000). The use of adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) showed longer 5-year OS of 67.7% compared to 36% in patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.018). Patients receiving both concurrent and adjuvant TMZ showed longer 5-year OS (68.5% vs. 40%, P = 0.010). Twenty-two patients had recurrence with average time to recurrence being 37 months. Fourteen patients underwent salvage surgery and two patients received reirradiation.
Conclusions: OS significantly correlated with KPS and receipt of concurrent and adjuvant chemotherapy with TMZ. Therefore, adjuvant radiation with concurrent and adjuvant TMZ should be the standard of care for AGs.
Keywords: Anaplastic gliomas; chemoradiation; survival; temozolomide.