Role of multidimensional assessment of frailty in predicting outcomes in elderly glioblastoma patients treated with adjuvant concurrent chemo-radiation

Background: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of comorbidities, clinical and biological factors on outcomes in elderly GBM patients treated with surgery followed by concurrent radiation (RT) and Temozolomide (TMZ). Materials and Methods: Our sample includes 34 elderly patients with GBM who treated from January 2013 to December 2017. We collected data regarding age, extension of surgery, use of current medications, KPS, presenting symptoms, Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), Charlson Co-morbidity Index (CCI) and Frailty Index (FI). All of these parameters, measured before the start of RT-TMZ, were linked to clinical outcomes. Results: With a median follow-up of 9.7 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 12.1 months and 1-year OS was 50%. In univariable analysis high KPS and total surgery were significantly associated with better OS. Also PNI, CCI and FI were a significant predictors of OS. At multivariate analysis KPS, type of surgery and FI remained a significant predictors of OS and, based on these parameters, we generated a prognostic score that, dividing patients into three risk categories, has proven to be a survival predictor, with an increase of the risk of death by 2.2 times for each increment of the score (HR 2.2, p =.0004). Conclusion: The appropriate management of elderly cancer patients with GBM is an important concern in oncology. Our data suggest that in elderly patients in good clinical conditions and with a low FI score, extensive surgery, when feasible without adding neurological impairment, followed by adjuvant RT-TMZ, should be considered.