SURGICAL-TREATMENT COMBINED WITH RADIOTHE RAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY IN ANUNSELECTED POPULATION OF PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT GLIOMA

BACKGROUND: Malignant gliomas are tumors of bad prognosis with a mean survival of 12 months. In the present report 74 patients diagnosed of malignant glioma were studied with the following aims: 1) evaluate how many could receive combined radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (BCNU) treatment following surgery and 2) analyze whether the patients treat ed presented a survival similar to that described in the literature. M ETHODS: The records of 74 patients operated on for malignant glioma be tween 1987-1990 and consecutively included in a protocol of treatment with RT and BCNU were reviewed. RESULTS: Out Of the total of 74 patien ts, 29 (39 %) were considered evaluable. The medians of progression fr ee interval and survival were of 10 and 16 months, respectively in the se patients. Forty-five (61 %) patients could not fulfill the protocol mainly because of tumoral progression prior to completion of RT and s evere post surgical complications. The evaluable patients were signifi cantly younger (p=0.004) and tumoral exeresis wider (p=0.0003) than in those who were not evaluable. CONCLUSIONS: Most Of the patients opera ted on for malignant glioma may not receive treatment considered as st andard, principally due to tumor progression in the first weeks follow ing surgery and the presence of severe post surgical complications.