Brain Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Cancer, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, treatment.

Is older age associated with a worse prognosis due to different patterns of care? A long-term study of 1346 patients with glioblastomas or brain metastases.

Lutterbach J, Bartelt S, Momm F, Becker G, Frommhold H, Ostertag C

Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. lutterba@mst1.ukl.uni-freiburg.de

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to find out whether the worse prognosis of older patients with primary or metastatic brain tumors can be explained by different patterns of care compared with younger patients. METHODS: A data base that included 430 patients with glioblastomas and 916 patients with brain metastases who underwent radiotherapy at the author's hospital between 1980 and 2000 was analyzed. Patterns of care were compared for different age groups using the chi-square test. RESULTS: In both patient groups, age turned out to be an independent risk factor. Older age was associated with worse overall survival. Independent of the cut-off age (< 50 years vs. > or = 50 years, < 60 years vs. > or = 60 years, < 65 years vs. > or = 65 years, and < 70 years vs. > or = 70 years), there were no statistically significant differences between the age groups concerning the use of different imaging modalities (computed tomography scans vs. magnetic resonance imaging), type of surgery (none vs. biopsy vs. resection), waiting time for radiotherapy (< median vs. > or = median), radiotherapy treatment planning (simulator-based vs. computer-based), use of radiation sources (cobalt unit vs. linear accelerator), and fractionation protocols (conventional vs. modified). When the recruitment period of 21 years was divided into 3 intervals, impressive changes with regard to the patterns of care became apparent. However, the changes were seen similarly throughout the different age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Older age did not limit access to state-of-the-art patterns of care in neurooncology. Patients participated in medical progress irrespective of their age. The worse prognosis of older patients with glioblastomas or brain metastases was not determined by age-related differences in access to health care.

Published 8 March 2005 in Cancer, 103(6): 1234-44.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Brain Cancer Research Today. All Rights Reserved.