Association between response to primary treatments and MGMT status in glioblastoma

The median overall survival and, more importantly, the 2-year survival rate of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma are increased by the administration of combined temozolomide and radiotherapy, which has recently become the new-standard of treatment in patients with a histological confirmation of diagnosis. Moreover, the assessment of O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene promoter methylation has clarified the impact of this approach, and improved upon the interpretation of doubtful cases after concurrent radiotherapy/ temozolomicle treatment. Therefore, future strategies in the treatment of glioblastoma patients will include stratification for MGMT methylation status, and various approaches based on epigenetic features are currently under investigation.