Anaplastic astrocytomas: survival and prognostic factors in a surgical series

To study patient characteristics, prognostic factors and overall survival (OS) in a consecutive, surgical series of WHO grade III anaplastic astrocytomas (AA).Patients were identified from a prospective tumor database at Oslo University Hospital, Norway, and patients undergoing surgery for an AA from 2005-2012 were included. Patients' medical charts were retrospectively reviewed for data collection.A total of 99 adult patients with histologically verified AA were included. Median age was 52 years (20-81). Biopsy was conducted in 33 % and resection in 67 %. Adjuvant treatment with radiation therapy + temozolomide or radiation therapy only was given in 63 % and 26 %, respectively. The thirty-day mortality rate was 3 %. Median OS was 19 months (95 % CI 11-27 months). Age ≥ 65 years, KPS 70, biopsy as opposed to resection, and no adjuvant treatment were confirmed negative prognostic factors in multivariate analysis. For patients undergoing resection, presence of postoperative contrast-enhanced tumor, not volume of residual tumor, had significant impact on OS in adjusted analysis.Median OS following surgery was 19 months, though much variable outcome was observed among subgroups of AA (95 % CI 11-27 months). Age ≥65 years, KPS 70, biopsy as opposed to resection, and no adjuvant treatment were confirmed negative prognostic factors for OS.