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Background: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor, with a median overall survival (OS) approximating 12 months (M) with surgery and radiotherapy alone. The use of temozolomide (TMZ) concurrent with and following radiotherapy improved median OS by 2.5 M to 14.6 Min a seminal 2005 trial1. This retrospective review of patients treated with 60 Gy of radiotherapy for GBM at the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre (WBRC), Melbourne between 2000 and 2010, aimed to assess overall survival in this real world cohort, contrasting outcomes in the time periods 2000-2004 and 2005-2010 and describing survival in the elderly. Method(s): The WBRC database was used to identify patients diagnosed with GBM between 2000 and 2010 and treated to 60 Gy. Further information was collected from hospital and WBRC records. OS was calculated from date of diagnosis to date of death and subgroups analyzed using the Kaplan- Meier method with the use of two sided log rank statistics. Result(s): Three hundred and thirteen patients were identified. 3 patients were censored with insufficient data. Median OS in the 111 patients treated prior to 2005 (59% RT alone, 41% adjuvant carmustine) was 13.7 M compared to 16.5 Min the 199 (5% RT alone) patients treated in the latter time period (p = 0.019). Twenty-seven patients aged >70 years(y) were treated to 60 Gy; 93% were treated with chemoradio therapy. Median OS was 16.7 M in >70 y versus 14.9 M in <=70 y (p = 0.69). Conclusion(s): This study demonstrates improved survival in the latter time period where temozolomide was routinely used, suggesting a benefit of concurrent and adjuvant TMZ outside of the clinical trial setting. The OS data of this cohort of GBM patients is comparable to that described in the literature. The small group of well-selected patients over 70 y have similar survival to those under 70 y.

Background: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor, with a median overall survival (OS) approximating 12 months (M) with surgery and radiotherapy alone. The use of temozolomide (TMZ) concurrent with and following radiotherapy improved median OS by 2.5 M to 14.6 Min a seminal 2005 trial1. This retrospective review of patients treated with 60 Gy of radiotherapy for GBM at the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre (WBRC), Melbourne between 2000 and 2010, aimed to assess overall survival in this real world cohort, contrasting outcomes in the time periods 2000-2004 and 2005-2010 and describing survival in the elderly. Method(s): The WBRC database was used to identify patients diagnosed with GBM between 2000 and 2010 and treated to 60 Gy. Further information was collected from hospital and WBRC records. OS was calculated from date of diagnosis to date of death and subgroups analyzed using the Kaplan- Meier method with the use of two sided log rank statistics. Result(s): Three hundred and thirteen patients were identified. 3 patients were censored with insufficient data. Median OS in the 111 patients treated prior to 2005 (59% RT alone, 41% adjuvant carmustine) was 13.7 M compared to 16.5 Min the 199 (5% RT alone) patients treated in the latter time period (p = 0.019). Twenty-seven patients aged >70 years(y) were treated to 60 Gy; 93% were treated with chemoradio therapy. Median OS was 16.7 M in >70 y versus 14.9 M in <=70 y (p = 0.69). Conclusion(s): This study demonstrates improved survival in the latter time period where temozolomide was routinely used, suggesting a benefit of concurrent and adjuvant TMZ outside of the clinical trial setting. The OS data of this cohort of GBM patients is comparable to that described in the literature. The small group of well-selected patients over 70 y have similar survival to those under 70 y.